The Other Side Of Me
by Sonic Jules
Summary: 10/Rose... What pulls us apart can make us stronger, but when the pull is a parallel universe, even the Doctor may not be strong enough to keep Rose from irrevocable harm. Rating for the 12th/last chapter.
1. Where It All Began

**The Other Side Of Me**

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**Disclaimer:** Doctor Who and the characters of said show do not belong to me, no matter how hard I've wished for it. No infringement meant on the owners, nor BBC. Honest.

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_**A/N:**__ A special thanks as always to Catharticone, who has guided, suggested, and corrected. Words cannot express my humble gratitude._

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**Chapter One**

**Where It All Began**

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She sat on the curb of a street she didn't know the name of, stretching the leg muscles thoroughly abused during her morning run. It was a cool morning, the air dry and crisp, and she'd felt so good while running that she hadn't realized how hard she'd pushed herself until her body literally began protesting her actions.

She was lost in thought - so much so that she found herself in a park, not realizing how far she'd actually gone. She'd been thinking of things that now eeluded her, and being honest with herself, she couldn't even remember when she'd started running or from where. It was so easy to let her mind wander - the temperature was just right; her mood was calm and relaxed. Her thoughts took her into scenarios of a story she'd read not too long ago, she was sure. A story that seemed to remind her of something, although she wasn't able to figure out what. It was like something was perched just on the edge of her memory.

Then her left calf had begun to cramp, abruptly ending those musings. She decided she'd rest for a bit then stretch her abused muscles with a nice, gentle walk.

She sat on the curb for the longest time, amazed at the tranquility of this place she'd just happened upon quite by accident. There hadn't been a soul around nor a car on the nearby road. Only the chirping of birds and the barking of a dog down the road to let her know that the world had not stopped simply on her behalf.

"Hello, Rose Tyler."

She jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She was on her feet in mere seconds, turning to face the man who'd spoken.

Her jaw dropped, and she could feel the blood literally draining from her face. She felt his familiarity, yet she also felt as if he were a complete stranger.

It couldn't be. He wasn't real. But he was. Wasn't he?

"I'm real," he said as if reading her mind.

"No, you - you're not. You can't be." She could hear herself saying the words, but it felt like she wasn't the one talking.

"Take my hand. I'll prove to you that I am indeed very real."

"No."

"No?"

"No." This was surreal to her. Like watching yourself on the telly. It was her image she watched, her image she felt, but it didn't seem real at all to her, like she never remembered playing the part. Still, she couldn't stop herself as the role continued.

"This isn't like you," said the Doctor.

"How would you know?"

"I've always known."

"I must've hit my head. Taken a fall durin' my jog and hit my head hard enough to cause concussion, because you are not real." But he was, wasn't he? She could see him breathing, the calm confidence that shone off him in waves brought down a notch by his rapid intake of air and a look of uncertainty that she read easily.

He took two steps towards her, walking cautiously so as not to scare her with his presence. He held his hand out toward her invitingly as his body shaded her from the sun. "Remember me." It wasn't a question. Not a suggestion. Just a gently spoken command.

She couldn't stop herself from reaching for his hand. She felt him when their fingers touched, her mind suddenly blinding her with flashing images. Images of her. With him. Impossible images of times she'd never known. It was as if she were reliving someone else's memories.

"Oh my God," Rose spoke quietly.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor stopped his work and pulled himself from beneath the console, Roses sudden lack of something to say in the midst of their conversation causing him concern.

They'd been talking about things from sports to desserts as he worked tirelessly on his TARDIS, trying to figure out why the ship was acting so sluggish and utterly ... well, odd.

They'd returned from Uberrhaust after an exhausting eight kilometer run, escaping not from its inhabitants, who were more than friendly towards them. No, they ended up running from the visiting Pellanthors, who were none too happy to have their quiet little vacation disturbed by the prattling Time Lord and his companion. The Doctor and Rose ran from promises of giving The Oncoming Storm the gift of silence, something neither he nor Rose could possibly fathom.

That had been almost three hours ago. In their haste for escape, the Doctor had set the TARDIS coordinates for the Void, and she'd jerked them thoroughly around the console room in weak protest, because really, she could have done much worse to them in her sudden state of duress. For some reason, she had lurched into the Vortex and simply frozen there. The Doctor couldn't make her budge. And although it was a relatively safe place to be, he didn't fancy spending an extended amount of time there. He'd tried almost everything to make her move, but her resistance prevailed, which lead them to now - he working on the ship and Rose keeping him company.

He'd been talking to Rose and she'd been talking to him, and then her words came to a halt as did her restless pacing around the console, which he thought even odder than his ship acting the way it had. He'd heard her footfalls stop at the same time he'd asked her a question about her favorite Earth season, still unanswered as he stood above the grating from where he'd just been working.

"Rose? Is something wrong?" Another question gone unanswered as he carefully approached her, noting her rigid posture.

The Doctor stood in front of her, watching her solicitously as he lined himself up to meet Rose's glazed stare, yet she still did not seem to see him. No, it appeared she was looking right through him, and he itched with a niggling of fear, knowing this certainly was not normal.

"Rose?" The Doctor waved a hand in front of her face, noting it did not distract her from her oblivious stare.

"Oh my God." She spoke the words but did not return to him from her apparent catatonic state.

Pulling out his sonic screwdriver, he called her name once more, softly, hopefully, and still got no response. Worry was clear in his voice as the Doctor lifted the instrument and aimed it towards her, wanting to know what was wrong. But when she began to sway he jumped towards her, dropping the screwdriver and grabbing hold as he fell with her, cushioning her rapid descent to the hard floor with his own body.

OoOoOoOoOoO

The Doctor checked Rose over thoroughly, his worry worn quite clearly on his features as he ran test after test on his unconscious companion.

At first he'd suspected neuroleptic malignant syndrome, but she hadn't exhibited enough of the symptoms to confirm his diagnosis. There was no elevated temperature, no rigidity in her limbs, and no real delirium to speak of.

Still, her continued catatonia had him perplexed, and more than a little scared.

He thought back to their trip to Uberrhaust. It was possible that she'd come into contact with some sort of chemical that was toxic to her system, but so far nothing was showing up on his tests. It was also possible that perhaps the Pellanthors had done harm to her in their haste to quiet him. Though nothing had shown up, it certainly didn't mean he would stop looking.

The Doctor's focus was quickly drawn to the couch where Rose lay. A subtle twitch of her hand caught his peripheral vision. When her head inclined slightly towards the left, he instantly moved to stand beside her.

"Rose? Rose - come on now. Can you open your eyes?"

She could feel a cool hand on her, rubbing her cheek with gentle swirling motions. Up and down. Cheek to forehead. Forehead to cheek. Swirl. It was ... kind of enticing. It was ... The Doctor. He was calling to her, but why?

Rose opened her eyes and looked around the Infirmary, recognizing it immediately. Then she closed her eyes as pain forced itself dominantly into her awareness.

"Rose? What's wrong? I need you to stay alert and tell me what's going on." His voice carried a tone of utter concern and she couldn't help but open her eyes again to look at him, not wanting to cause him any worry. She was relieved to discover the pain she'd felt before had diminished.

"Why'm I in here?" she asked, lifting herself to lean on her elbows.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don' know? How'd I get in here?"

"I carried you, actually. How are you feeling right now?"

"I, um, I feel fine. You carried me? What happened?"

"Well," the Doctor began, sitting himself beside her hip on the couch. "I was working on the TARDIS, and you were wandering around the center console. We were talking and then you simply froze in place. When I came to you, it seemed you were in an almost trance-like state."

"I don' remember any of that."

"No, suppose you wouldn't. Like I said," he began, staring into her eyes very closely, "you were a bit out of it." He looked at her intently. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"I ..." she paused, looking up at the very white ceiling for a moment. "Bananas."

"Beg your pardon?" the Doctor asked, a slight grin tugging at his lips.

"We were talkin' about ice cream - you were busy doin' whatever you were doin' under the console, and you said you wanted some vanilla ice cream with hot fudge drippin' all over it. And I remember thinkin' you must be really busy under there because you didn't once say anythin' about wantin' some bananas with it all."

"Hmm," was the Doctor's only reply as he looked at Rose closely, staring intensely. For a moment she felt a bit uncomfortable - but only for a moment. She watched the Doctor as he continued looking into her eyes, leaning over her closely. It seemed he did it for an eternity, and when he blinked it actually startled her. "Well, no signs of brain washing or mind control."

"How can you tell?" Rose asked as he placed a hand under her shoulder, helping her to sit up properly.

"Oh, I have my ways," he said as he jumped to his feet. "Think you can stand?"

"Yeah," and she did, noting that he kept a hand on her elbow to steady her. She must've scared him pretty good, because he obviously wasn't taking any chances. She figured he'd be taking her to one of the examination tables, but instead he walked her out into the hallway.

Somehow they ended up in the kitchen, which surprised Rose further.

"What're we doin' in here?"

"Why getting some tea, of course. And some juice for you as well. You're a a little bit dehydrated and your electrolytes are low."

"So you think that's why I passed out up there?"

"Nope. Just noticed those things while I was examining you," he told her almost too cheerfully as he set down a cup of tea and a rather large glass of juice in front of her, "and there's no reason to ignore them."

He sat down in front of her then, reaching over to the counter for the tea he'd prepared for himself.

Rose sipped at her juice then set the glass down. "How long was I out?"

"Oh, about a half an hour or so, give or take a few minutes. Thing is, I don't know yet what caused it. I ran extensive tests on you while you were in the Infirmary and found nothing to explain why you collapsed like you did."

"Nothing?"

"Not a thing. But don't worry. I will figure it out." The Doctor gave her his most winning smile, his determination clear. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

He eventually lead her to her room, allowing her to rest within its comforts as opposed to the Infirmary, for which she was grateful. Whatever ailed her, she was sure it was simply due to their running back to the TARDIS, and rest was probably the only cure she needed. She as much as told him so.

The Doctor, however, wasn't quite so convinced.

OoOoOoOoOoO


	2. Sweet Dreams

_**Previously In Chapter One ...**_

_Rose sipped at her juice then set the glass down. "How long was I out?"_

_"Oh, about a half an hour or so, give or take a few minutes. Thing is, I don't know yet what caused it. I ran extensive tests on you while you were in the Infirmary and found nothing to explain why you collapsed like you did."_

_"Nothing?"_

_"Not a thing. But don't worry. I will figure it out." The Doctor gave her his most winning smile, his determination clear. She couldn't help but smile back at him._

_He eventually lead her to her room, allowing her to rest within its comforts as opposed to the Infirmary, for which she was grateful. Whatever ailed her, she was sure it was simply due to their running back to the TARDIS, and rest was probably the only cure she needed. She as much as told him so._

_The Doctor, however, wasn't quite so convinced._

_o_

**Chapter Two**

**Sweet Dreams**

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Rose looked around the TARDIS, watching the Doctor as he continued his work on the ship. He kept a close eye on her, though, his frequent glances showing that he was still worried about her. But she felt fine. Well rested. Maybe a little ... odd. But not in an entirely bad way.

When the Doctor walked towards her and sat down beside her in the captain's chair, she realized she'd zoned a bit, thinking about her personal assessment. Obviously her reverie had unnerved him a little.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, wiping some gunk from his hand with a towel as his eyes stared into hers.

"Fine. Good." Rose looked at him, noting his skeptical glance. "I am - really."

"You look good, too," he said, his voice low and soothing.

When he leaned over and kissed her, she was totally stunned. It was out of the blue. Unprovoked. Clearly strange. And most certainly the best kiss she'd ever experienced in her entire life. She couldn't stop herself when she leaned into him, eagerly returning the kiss. He tasted of sugared cinnamon and other sweet, exotic spices and she couldn't help the satisfied moan that escaped from her.

When the Doctor's lips left hers, all Rose could feel was the loss of them. She looked at him, a mixture of amazement and complete satisfaction held within her stunned gaze. He grinned at her.

"I think your kisses get sweeter and sweeter each time. Might have to test that theory," he winked, standing up and walking back towards the console. Rose could do nothing but stare. Wait a minute ...

"Each time?" she asked quietly.

"Each and every time," he answered confidently as he began pushing a few buttons on the console.

"But that was our, our first, unless you want to count Cassandra ..."

The Doctor turned around and grinned wickedly at her. "Rose Tyler - are you trying to make me believe that I've just literally snogged you senseless? Because we've kissed many, many times before. And although I'll admit that I'm good - very good in fact, I don't think I'm quite _that_ good." His smile was ear to ear.

OoOoO

The Doctor stood quietly in Rose's doorway, unable to stop himself from watching her. Her golden hair was splayed across the pillow, almost glowing in light that touched it from behind him. Her breathing was soft and relaxed, indicating her restful state without interruption from pain or nightmares. When she moaned slightly, it was not a distressful sound. She was more than likely dreaming, and the dream didn't seem to be disrupting her rest.

Absorbed in the peaceful sight of her, he still looked for anything that could have caused Rose to collapse as she did. He stared at her, as if focusing intensely on her form would give him the answer he was searching for.

So far, it had not.

Rose gasped and sat straight up, her breathing suddenly labored as she looked around her room. When her gaze fell upon the Doctor she stiffened a little, looking at him uneasily.

"Wha - what happened?"

"You were moaning in your sleep. I was just checking in on you when I heard you. Probably woke you up in my haste to see what was wrong. You all right?" It wasn't a lie, per se, and there really was no need to tell her he was just staring at her like he was.

"Yeah. Jus' was havin' a dream ... I suppose." Rose looked around a little, understanding she must've been asleep.

"Good or bad?"

"Hmm?"

"Was it a good dream, or a bad one?" the Doctor asked as he slowly sat down beside her.

"Good. Pretty nice, actually."

He had to have guessed that, for if she were moaning like she had in her dream, she knew it wouldn't have sounded the least bit distressed.

"That's excellent! Because when you go back to sleep with the comforts of that overly pillowed bed of yours, you can see about getting back to that nice dream."

"But I'm awake now," she told him, doing her best to stifle a yawn.

"Only for now. You've just been sleeping a bit over an hour. You're obviously tired and rightfully so. Need I remind you that rest is very recuperative? So the more sleep, the better."

"But Doctor, I'm fine, really. You worry too much. B'sides, you're the one always complainin' that us humans sleep too much anyway. Kinda contradictin' yourself, aren't ya?"

"Of course you're fine. That's why you passed out, right? Come on, a little kip and maybe I can worry a bit less about you."

Rose nodded her agreement and the Doctor tucked her comforter up around her. She was back asleep in only a few minutes. The look of concern did not leave his features.

OoOoO

The Doctor finally pushed himself away from the door frame, knowing he had things to get done if they ever hoped to come out of the Void. He'd been staring at Rose again, watching her sleep and listening for anything abnormal. But so far, nothing was wrong. Rose was perfect in his eyes, which he realized could explain why he was so agitated with himself for not figuring out her dilemma. But he would. Come hell or high water, he promised Rose silently to decipher her medical problem and have her back to right in no time.

Slowly and silently, he returned himself to the Console Room, deep in thought, hoping to fix the TARDIS and vowing to fix Rose Tyler.

OoOoO

"I take it we're still stuck in the Void?" Rose asked as she walked across the grating, stopping at the center console and looking down at a crop of adorably tousled brown hair.

"Yep. Sleep well?" the Doctor asked, grinning as he looked up and met her eyes.

"Apparently. Seems I needed it. You were right."

"And you doubted this?" His mischievous expression stayed in place for her to observe as he pulled himself up to stand in front of her.

Rose smiled. "Never."

"Good!" The Doctor leaned forward and placed his arms on her shoulders, his face a breath away from hers. "I'd like to think I know what's best for you," he practically whispered, his tone deep and endearing.

Rose simply stared at him, a nervous grin tugging at her lips. She couldn't help it when her tongue poked through her teeth, her look mischievous. "Do you now," she stated.

"Oh yes. Yes I do," and with those words completed, his lips descended on hers, giving her a rush of heat and chills all at once. As the kiss deepened, his hands began a downward journey, rubbing her arms slowly, falling to her waist, squeezing her hips. Oh God, it was so perfect - so intense she thought she might just swoon if he released her. When he gently nipped her bottom lip, she gasped, unintentionally separating them.

"I want you," he whispered in her ear, then lightly bit the lobe.

"Oh," she whispered, head tilted back and eyes closed. At the moment, she really didn't think she could form a sentence.

OoOoO

"Rose! Look at me." The Doctor's words tugged gently at her mind, and she looked at him, suddenly worried by the tone of his voice.

"Doctor?"

"Rose," he sighed in relief at seeing her eyes focusing upon him. "You had me worried there. How are you feeling?"

"I feel fine. What's wrong?"

The Doctor nervously laughed for a moment, his eyes remaining on hers. "What's wrong is that you've been in a daze for almost ten minutes. You weren't responding to any stimuli. I was just about to join your mind to find out what was happening."

"What?"

"Yes, a bit drastic, I know. But I couldn't seem to get through to you any other way," he answered a bit sheepishly. Things like that weren't normally done without consent, at least by his way of thinking.

"Ten minutes?" she asked, clearly more concerned about the fact that she'd zoned out as opposed to him linking his thoughts with her own.

He simply nodded at her, emphasizing his point with a raise of his eyebrows.

"I thought I was dreaming," she told him distractedly.

"You possibly were. Although I don't think doing so while standing in here is the ideal place."

Rose looked around, her eyes widening as she realized she was in the Console Room, even though her last memory of being awake was the Doctor tucking her in bed. "How'd I get in here?"

"You don't remember?" His increased look of concern did not go unnoticed by her.

Rose looked at him, shaking her head slightly as her eyes relayed her bewilderment.

"Perhaps you were sleepwalking," he said softly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently.

"Yeah," she answered, walking along in the direction the Doctor urged her to with a gentle tug. She didn't need to ask where they were going. She knew the Infirmary was in her future once again, and she was too stunned to protest.

OoOoO


	3. Don't Wake Me

_**Previously in Chapter Two...**_

_"Rose! Look at me." The Doctor's words tugged gently at her mind, and she focused on him, suddenly worried by the tone of his voice._

_"Doctor?"_

_"Rose," he sighed in relief at seeing her eyes opening. "You had me worried there. How are you feeling?"_

_"I feel fine. What's wrong?"_

_The Doctor nervously laughed for a moment, his eyes remaining on hers. "What's wrong is that you've been in a daze for almost ten minutes. I was just about to join your mind to find out what was happening."_

_"What?"_

_"Yes, a bit drastic, I know. But I couldn't seem to get through to you any other way."_

_"Ten minutes?" she asked, clearly more concerned about the fact that she'd zoned out as opposed to him linking his thoughts with her own._

_He simply nodded at her, emphasizing his point with a raise of his eyebrows._

_"I thought I was dreaming," she told him distractedly._

_"You possibly were. Although I don't think doing so while standing in here is the ideal place."_

_Rose looked around, her eyes widening as she realized she was in the Console Room, even though her last memory of being awake was the Doctor tucking her in bed. "How'd I get in here?"_

_"You don't remember?"_

_Rose looked at him, shaking her head slightly as her eyes relayed her bewilderment._

_"Perhaps you were sleepwalking," he said softly, grabbing her hand and squeezing it gently._

_"Yeah," she answered, walking along in the direction the Doctor urged her to with a gentle tug. She didn't need to ask where they were going. She knew the Infirmary was in her future once again, and she was too stunned to protest._

_o_

**The Other Side Of Me**

**Chapter 3**

**Don't Wake Me**

O

"So tell me. While you're in these trance-like states, it's sort of like you're dreaming, am I right?" the Doctor asked as he gently lifted one eyelid, then the other, widening them as he observed her reaction to light.

Rose sighed. "Yes." She hated being in the Infirmary, truth be told. And although the couch was comfortable enough, she was not.

"What are you dreaming about?"

She looked sharply at him upon his question, then quickly looked away. "Nothin' really."

"Rose, I don't mean to upset you, but I want to figure out what's going on. Whatever's causing you to," he waved his hand in the air, searching for the right words, "zone out, cannot be good for you. I just want to help. All right?"

"Yeah, okay," she answered, but still did not answer his previous question. It unnerved him a bit, listening to her silence.

"Rose? You can tell me. And it might help me figure this all out. Come on, you can tell me. What are your dreams about?"

She could feel the heat of a blush rising to her cheeks. Still, she looked up at him again, and after a few moments, answered.

"You."

"Me?"

"Yeah."

"What about me?"

"Nothin', really. Just here on the TARDIS is all." She looked away from him again, her eyes wandering the sterile room, hoping for any sort of distraction.

"Rose? Whatever it is, it's only a dream, and you can't prevent having them, nor can you help what their content is." The Doctor smiled gently at her. "It's okay, I can take it. Tell me."

"S'nothin', really." She turned away from him once more, looking around at the walls, the cabinets - everywhere but him.

The Doctor's eyebrows raised a bit. "Rose? You need to realize it's just a dream. It can't harm you," he said gently. "You know, all sorts of species have nightmares. If perhaps, you dreamed something happened to me - well, I'm here and just fine. And the same goes for you. We are still together and very much alive." He waited for her to respond, but the longer her silence continued, the more he sensed her uncomfortableness grow. "I won't let your dreams harm you."

She looked at him then, saw the concern within his eyes and knew she trusted him with her life. A little dream beyond her control wasn't going to make him think any less of her. She hoped.

"You an' me."

"You were dreaming about us?" His tone wasn't accusing and there was no hint of humor nor shock on his features. Still the same concern, read easily in his eyes.

"Yeah."

"Okay. Just a dream, remember? What about us?" he asked as calmly as he could.

"It's nothin'," she said quietly, suddenly fascinated with her hands in her lap, clasping and unclasping them.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?" She was sounding a bit annoyed, and after revealing that her dreams were of him - of them, could he really blame her? They didn't do that sort of thing. He was smart enough to figure out the dream, wasn't he? Why was he trying to get her to spell it out?

"What are we doing in those dreams?" he asked innocently. She stared at him for a moment then closed her eyes, looking a bit uncomfortable. His hand was rubbing her arm gently with comforting touches, but for Rose it only reminded her of the lust she'd felt for him in her dream. She could feel the flush of her face as his fingertips easily arroused what she tried to hide from him. Quickly, she pulled her arm away from his touch.

"Rose?"

She lifted her face to see him and allow him to see her. His expression showed his confusion, and yes, a little hurt at her withdrawal from his attempt at comfort. Then she watched as his face showed some sort of self-recrimination and he took a step back.

"Did I ... did I hurt you in your dreams?"

Now she felt guilt rushing through her thoughts and reached her hand out to him instantly. "No, Doctor. Never."

"But, you look upset."

Rose drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment, releasing it slowly. She didn't have the bravado to look at him when she told him, so she looked down, focusing on their joined hands. "I'm just being childish. Truth is, I dreamed you kissed me. And, and it was far from painful," she practically whispered.

"Oh." For once, the Time Lord seemed lost for words, his eyes wide and eyebrows high. But it didn't last long.

"Was it good?" he asked.

Rose managed to look up at him then, meeting his eyes as his question surprised her. What she saw there was unexpected. He was comforting her, teasing her just a bit, and grinning like a fool. She smacked his arm slightly, smiling back at him. The tension seemed to drain from her body considerably.

Rose nodded, grinning. "Yeah. It was okay."

"Just okay? I'd say it was better than that, the way you're blushing."

"Git."

OoOoO

The Doctor had been working hard under the console of the TARDIS, fixing anything and everything as he tried to determine why they were stuck in the Vortex. About every ten minutes or so, he poked his head out from beneath the floor panel, looking at Rose, speaking to her, only returning to his tasks when she answered him and he knew she was all right.

It was driving her crazy.

She'd stopped reading the stories in the magazine she held in her lap, tired of the interruptions. Instead she just looked at the pictures, and when that was done, she got up and stretched. The next thing she knew, the Doctor was poking his head out from beneath the floor. Again. He'd obviously heard her getting up.

"Yes!" she hollered at him, knowing he was about to ask her for the umpteenth time if she was okay.

"No need to get techty," he told her as he casually pulled himself up to sit on the grating. "I haven't been that bad, have I?"

"Yes," she answered more civily. "An' it's all right, really. I know you're just worried. But nothin's happened these past few hours, and I'm gonna go nuts if I just keep sittin' 'round here like this."

He stood then, and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her in a reassuring hug. "I'm sorry if I'm pestering you," he said softly.

"I should be apologizin' to you. I'm the one who keeps goin' an' passin' out like no one's business. 'M sorry. Didn't mean to yell at you."

They pulled back to look at one another, and Rose saw the look in his eyes - she'd seen it before. Not too long ago. The intesity in them made her tingle. Had she passed out again?

His abrupt departure from her hold told her that she was normal. They were normal. He didn't do those domestics, and she clearly had her answer.

Suddenly feeling a little sad, she backed away from him, trying not to wear her feelings on her sleeves.

"You know what I need?" she asked, smiling as she met his eyes once more.

"What's that?" he asked sweetly.

"A bubble bath."

"Really?" Apparently those were not the words he was expecting, if his surprised expression was anything to go by.

"Yeah. With water about as warm as I can stand it - all steamy an' nice smellin'. I think it's just what I need." She looked at the Doctor, and saw his instant worry. "I promise not to pass out and drown myself," she spoke softly, noting his skeptical look.

"I'm pretty sure the TARDIS won't let you do that," he said, scratching his fingers through his scalp. "But still, I'm not sure you're up to it."

"I'll be careful."

The Doctor nodded, not wanting her to be away from him that long, obviously. But he let her go, just the same. Rose knew he wouldn't be too far away from her though, and that was okay.

OoOoO

Rose settled down into the perfectly heated water, feeling the softening oils welcome her in their luxurious foam as she settled herself comfortably into the tub. The TARDIS had seen to her needs, having the bath waiting for Rose as soon as she'd returned to her room. This ship was amazing. She sensed the ship was unwell, yet the old girl still managed to take care of her. Rose whispered her thanks as she relaxed against the back of the tub, immersed in fluid warmth up to her neck and loving it.

She closed her eyes and let the moment take her away.

OoOoO

When Rose began to awaken, she found herself enveloped in the softest of sheets with fluffy pillows beneath her head, the bed warmed nicely. Her eyes remained closed as she savored the perfect comfort.

But when had she gotten out of the tub?

Opening her eyes, she quickly realized she was not in her bed. The room was dimly lit with glowing candles scattered about, their warm glow letting her see just enough to confirm that she was not in her room.

When the warmth behind her moved, she froze. The arm that encircled her waist pulled her snugly against the form behind her, then began caressing her stomach from ribs to abdomen, up and down with soothing, lazy motions. When Rose felt his breath against her neck, her eyes fluttered closed as she released the breath she'd been holding.

"You feel so good," he whispered in her ear, his words tickling her ever-so-slightly. She couldn't control the shiver that ran through her, the Doctor's words exciting her. His hands did even more, carressing her skin with the slightest of touches. Her bare skin. The realization hit her with all the ferocity of a train wreck.

Rose sat up quickly, inhaling air in deep gulps as she clung to the sheet in modesty.

"Rose? What's the matter? You all right?" the Doctor asked, his cool palm running up and down her bare back in soothing motions. She turned her face to look at him, instantly melting into the passion that overtook her modesty.

He looked so handsome. Bare chested and lying on his side, hair hopelessly tousled as his head rested against the pillow. The sheet she was using to cover herself had been pulled away from him, making her blood run instantly hot at the sight of his trim stomach and hips.

"Rose?"

Now she was staring, and probably blushing her way to crimson, but she didn't care. He was beautiful. Absolutely gorgeous.

"I'm fine," she whispered, bringing her left hand down to touch him. When her hand made contact with his skin she closed her eyes, savoring the feel of him.

The Doctor's fingers left a sizzling trail as they moved up her arms and reached behind her neck. He pulled her gently towards him, and Rose eagerly complied, turning herself as she came down on top of him, stopping only when her lips joined his. They kissed passionately, and it was just as she knew it would feel - just like she remembered, only twice as intense.

His kiss was heat - fire in her veins with each touch of his tongue to hers - his moan letting her know that he was enjoying this as much as she was. She fell into him, letting him wrap his arms around her and hold her as he broke the kiss and slid his tongue down her neck. Rose felt her eyes roll to the back of her head. Nothing could ever feel as good as this.

Then her world was suddenly spinning. The Doctor gripped her tightly and rolled them gracefully. Before she knew what was happening, Rose was on her back with the Doctor leaning over her, grinning almost ferally.

"I've got you now," he whispered, then kissed her nose playfully.

"You've always had me," she replied, eyes closed and smiling.

OoOoO


	4. The Bath

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

_**Previously in Chapter Th**__**ree ...**_

_The Doctor's fingers left a sizzling trail as they moved up her arms and reached behind her neck. He pulled her gently towards him, and Rose eagerly complied, turning herself as she came down on top of him, stopping only when her lips joined his. They kissed passionately, and it was just as she knew it would feel - just like in the movies when two people who loved each other finally became one._

_His kiss was heat - fire in her veins with each touch of his tongue to hers - his moan letting her know that he was enjoying this as much as she was. She fell into him, letting him wrap his arms around her and hold her for his mouth as he broke the kiss and slid his tongue down her neck. Rose felt her eyes roll to the back of her head. Nothing could ever feel as good as this._

_Then her world was suddenly spinning. The Doctor gripped her tightly and rolled them gracefully. Before she knew what was happening, Rose was on her back with the Doctor leaning over her, grinning almost evilly._

_"I've got you now," he whispered, then kissed her nose playfully._

_"You've always had me," she replied, eyes closed and smiling._

_o_

**Chapter Four**

**The Bath**

"Rose!" The Doctor's voice drifted into her thoughts and she opened her eyes, watching him. His lips didn't move the next time she heard her name called, and she wondered if perhaps he was using telepathy.

But his voice, when she heard her name called again, sounded muffled and almost panicked. Yet the look on the face before her was incongruously calm, even as she heard the frantic sound of her name once more. Definitely not the tone she expected from the softly grinning man above her.

Then it hit her; she must be dreaming. And the Doctor was trying to get through to her. Of course this wasn't her real world; apparently this was some fantasy that she'd buried so deeply even she didn't recognize it fully.

Dear God, she must be going mad. Had to be.

OoOoO

The Doctor had not intended to enter Rose's personal space, especially in the privacy of her bathroom, but soon came to realize he had no choice. He'd been calling to her for over a minute, banging on the door that separated them, but she did not answer.

He'd remained seated as long as he could across from her room, understanding females and their bathroom indulgences. It seemed most all female humanoids enjoyed 'quiet time' in a hot, soaking tub. But soon his worrying got the better of him, and he stood from his chair and walked into the corridor, never hesitating until his hand knocked on Rose's bedroom door.

His hesitations began when she did not answer him. Oh, it was possible that she was still in the tub; in fact, it was more than likely. He didn't want to invade her space; really, he didn't. But she wasn't answering him, and he could justify entering her room because of his worry due to the past events of this day. He'd never be able to justify not going in there, however, if she were hurt or worse.

Horrid visions of her drowning surrounded him in a looming dark cloud, laced with the worst scenarios he could imagine. Normally, if something was amiss with someone on his ship, the TARDIS would inform him with a nudge to his mind. But on this occasion, she remained eerily silent, like Rose, raising his fears.

The ship was unwell. What if she couldn't tell him that something was terribly wrong?

He entered Rose's bedroom, calling her name as he walked in, but received no answer. Everything was where it should be. Nothing out of place, which meant she was still in the bathroom.

"Rose?" he called to her, waiting impatiently for her to answer. He knocked on the bathroom door then called to her again. And again.

Trying the door knob, he found it unlocked and entered the steamy room without reservation, inhaling the sweet floral smells from the oils of her bubble bath.

Rose was still in the tub, immersed in warm water with bubbles up to her neck, leaning against it's back. The Doctor knelt down beside her.

"Rose?" he queried, his voice just above a whisper as his hand reached up to her cheek. Her eyes were open, but they closed at his touch.

"Rose."

She wasn't responding. Damn it! He'd known permitting her to have this bath was a bad idea - known it deep down in his hearts. Gently holding her shoulders, he pulled her towards him, sitting her up in the tub. He expected her to slump forward, possibly slide down further into the bubbles, but she didn't; simply sitting as he posed her. Her eyes opened again, but it was clear she wasn't seeing him.

"Rose? What's wrong?"

OoOoO

Rose looked up at the Doctor, leaning over her in the bed as he steadied himself, keeping his weight off of her. He looked terribly worried and she was beginning to understand why.

"This must be a fantasy," she said softly, her hand raising to hold his cheek, brushing slightly against a bit of stubble. "But you feel so real."

"I am real. And I'm worried. What's happening with you?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

Suddenly the Doctor sat up, wiping his face with his hands. "Something's not right. I can feel it," he stated as his eyes wandered the room for a moment before meeting hers again. He soon smiled though, letting his worries slip down a notch at the sight of her. "You're so beautiful."

Rose blushed, realizing she was lying before him, naked for his eyes to explore. And it felt good, for with all her insecurities and human flaws, he thought she was beautiful. She wanted to remember this moment forever.

Pain suddenly ripped through her mind, stabbing through her thoughts. She felt like her skull was being ripped open in half. She screamed at the intensity of it, her mind losing conscious thought as the pain became too much to bear.

OoOoO

The Doctor stared at Rose for the longest time, trying to read the something from the blank expression on her face as she sat in the bathtub, still unaware of his presence. He'd been kneeling beside her a good five minutes, waiting for her to come out of her trance-like state. But she hadn't. And he had no idea how long she'd been this way since he hadn't been with her when it began. He was sure, however, that this was the longest episode so far.

Quickly making up his mind, the Doctor brought his fingertips to her temples. He hated doing this to her. If felt like an invasion of her privacy without her permission, but he was worried. And there really didn't seem to be a choice. He couldn't figure out what was happening to her and was no longer willing to do nothing about it, intrusive or not.

Fingers in place, he stared at her for a moment, then closed his eyes.

Rose screamed at the first tendrils of his mind touching hers. He felt her pain and knew he was the cause of it, immediately releasing his hold on her. Her tormented scream echoed in his mind even as her body slumped towards him, now unconscious.

Not only was he no closer to finding out what was wrong with his Rose, but now he had inflicted such pain on her that she had literally passed out in his hold.

The Doctor pushed Rose gently back until she was supported once more by the bathtub, taking deep breaths to calm his nerves now that she seemed no longer in pain. He stared at her for a moment, trying to understand. He'd never had anything like this happen before in all his nine-hundred-plus years.

He looked away from her, shaking his head slightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The sudden disorientation that threatened him came out of nowhere. He felt a bit off-kilter; dizzy with a touch of nausea. He focused his mind. He had no time to dwell on his petty symptoms. Although, if he thought about it, they were most likely related to her reaction when he tried to join her mind.

Something was very, very wrong here.

OoOoO

The Doctor turned away from Rose for only a moment when she began sliding down in the tub. He'd heard the slight swoosh of the water's movement and spun back towards her quickly, seeing her form slowly lowering into the water's depths. Before he could reach a hand out to stop her, she began slipping beneath the water, making the Time Lord rush toward her in panic. Grabbing Rose's shoulders, he hoisted her quickly upwards, splashing the water around enough to soak him thoroughly in the process, though he didn't notice. He was too busy looking her over.

"Rose - Rose!" The Doctor shook her gently in hopes of a response, but got none.

And she wasn't breathing. Surely she hadn't been under the water long enough to ...

Rose's sudden intake of air startled him, though he never lost his grip on her shoulders. He did however, allow a deep, calming breath for himself.

The Doctor made sure to drain the tub before he moved into her bedroom, spreading out a couple of towels across Rose's bed. His movements were functional with speed, not wanting his companion out of his sight for too long. That scare mere moments earlier already had taken a few years from his lives, he was sure.

Returning to Rose, he found an abundant supply of towels stacked neatly on the back of the toilet; just what he needed.

Getting Rose out of the tub was his next priority, but he paused, leaning down to look at her closely. She looked as if she were merely sleeping - no traces of pain on her features. Her thin body was covered in bubbles, protecting her modesty if only slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he resolved himself to do what needed to be done.

Reaching his hands beneath her, the Doctor lifted Rose easily from her ceramic sanctuary. Her skin was cooling down quickly and he hugged her close to him and turned, sitting her on the covered toilet beside the tub. Balancing her steadily with one hand, he pulled the towels from behind her one by one, quickly wrapping her in their warmth.

Of course, that was when Rose awoke.

OoOoO


	5. If At First You Don't Succeed

**The Other Side Of Me**

_**Previously in Chapter Four ...**_

_The Doctor turned away from Rose for only a moment when she began sliding down in the tub. He'd heard the slight swoosh of the water's movement and spun back towards her quickly, seeing her form slowly lowering into the water's depths. Before he could reach a hand out to stop her, she began slipping beneath the water, making the Time Lord rush toward her in panic. Grabbing Rose's shoulders, he hoisted her quickly upwards, splashing the water around enough to soak him thoroughly in the process, though he didn't notice. He was too busy looking her over._

_"Rose - Rose!" The Doctor shook her gently in hopes of a response, but got none._

_And she wasn't breathing. Surely she hadn't been under the water long enough to ..._

_Rose's sudden intake of air startled him, though he never lost his grip on her shoulders. He did however, allow a deep, calming breath for himself._

_The Doctor made sure to drain the tub before he moved into her bedroom, spreading out a couple of towels across Rose's bed. His movements were functional with speed, not wanting his companion out of his sight for too long. That scare mere moments earlier already had taken a few years from his lives, he was sure._

_Returning to Rose, he found an abundant supply of towels stacked neatly on the back of the toilet; just what he needed._

_Getting Rose out of the tub was his next priority, but he paused, leaning down to look at her closely. She looked as if she were merely sleeping - no traces of pain on her features. Her thin body was covered in bubbles, protecting her modesty if only slightly._

_Taking a deep breath, he resolved himself to do what need to be done._

_Reaching his hands beneath her, the Doctor lifted Rose easily from her ceramic sanctuary. Her skin was cooling down quickly and he hugged her close to him and turned, sitting her on the covered toilet beside the tub. Balancing her steadily with one hand, he pulled the towels from behind her one by one, quickly wrapping her in their warmth._

_Of course, that was when Rose awoke._

_o_

**Chapter Five**

**If At First You Don't Succeed**

o

"What's goin' on?" she asked quietly, looking around the room as she shivered, pulling the towels closer around her.

The Doctor knelt down in front of her, securing another towel around her shoulders for warmth. "You went catatonic in the tub, I'm afraid. Lucky you didn't drown in there," he said, his worry clear.

"I'm sorry," Rose whispered, still shivering.

"It's all right. Think you can stand?" he asked softly.

"Yeah," she answered automatically, though she didn't try to move.

She was still looking around the room, no doubt trying to get her bearings, so the Doctor waited patiently. Finally she looked at him again, meeting his worried eyes, then glanced down, suddenly noticing her state of undress beneath the towels.

"Did I do this?" she gestured to the towels, "or did you?"

"I did." There really wasn't anything else for him to say.

"Okay."

Rose stood then, much to the Doctor's surprise, barely concealing herself in front of him. He stood with her, thinking she was probably in shock, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling. He walked her into the bedroom, and, once sure that she was steady on her feet, removed his hands.

Rose walked over to her bed where the clothes she'd peviously lain out for herself sat, and began removing the towels that had warmed and dried her. The Doctor quickly turned away, finding a fascinating spot on the wall just above her dresser. When he no longer heard the rustling noises of clothing being put on, he turned back around, watching as a now fully-clothed Rose sat down on her bed.

She didn't look up at him, instead taking the towels he'd placed on the bed one by one and folding them until they were neatly stacked. She looked around a little after that task was completed, making the Doctor wonder if she were a bit dazed. After all, the pain he'd inflicted on her, though not purposely, could easily have done some sort of damage, much to his deepest fears.

"Rose?"

She turned to him then, watching him as he gently seated himself beside her.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah." She gave him a little smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. She almost appeared sad to him.

"How's your head feeling?"

"Little sore, but it's okay."

The Doctor waited for her to continue, but her silence seemed to drag on far too long for his liking. He took her hand in his.

"What happened?" he asked softly.

"I was dreamin' again. 'Bout you and me." She squeezed his hand. "It was ... nice."

"We were still in the TARDIS?"

"Yeah."

"What else?"

"Nothin' else."

He knew she was holding something back. Knew it by the blush rising to her cheeks. From what she'd told him about her last 'dream', he presumed they had been more intimate.

"Was it as good as the last time?" he asked, grinning when her eyes met his.

Rose smiled back at him. "Yep. Better."

The sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, Rose leaning into the Doctor's shoulder as his arm went around her. He wished they could stay like this forever - but the reality was he had to figure out what was wrong with her.

"I think I should try joining your mind again, Rose."

She looked up at him sharply. He had been rather abrupt about approaching the subject; maybe it was too soon for her. The Doctor took a deep breath. At least she hadn't said 'no'. Not yet, anyway.

"I really need to try it again. See, the thing is, there's something going on and - no - I don't think you're losing your mind. But I need to reach within your memories to find out what's happening. I don't think it will hurt you - I wouldn't try it again if I thought it would. The last time I tried this you were in a catatonic state. Right now, you're thinking clearly. You are thinking clearly at the moment, aren't you?"

She nodded, listening carefully to his words. She remembered little from his first attempt, but what she did remember vividly was the pain. Deep, stabbing pain in her skull. A pain so strong she actually shivered from it's memory. One minute she'd been dreaming about her and the Doctor becoming intimate, the next he was probing her mind and a pain had ripped through her so severly she had no idea why it hadn't killed her. Then everything went black, and she was sure that it had.

"Do you trust me?"

Rose's mind had wandered in her thoughts as the Doctor continued talking, but she hadn't missed those last four words.

"Of course I do," she answered without hesitation.

"I won't do this if you don't want me to," the Doctor said softly.

"I know." Rose smiled gently at him. "But you really have to. I want to know what's wrong with me, too." She looked down at their joined hands, her face reflecting a little sadness as her grin faultered.

"Rose?"

"'S nothin'. You should do what you need to do." With those words, the Doctor nodded at her then gently pulled his hand from hers.

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

With her permission, the Doctor reached his hands to her face, caressing her skin softly as he looked into her eyes. Seeing her prevailing willingness, he gently placed the tips of his index and middle fingers to her temples. Slowly, he closed his eyes, as did Rose.

The Doctor seemed to relax a bit as he entered Rose's mind, her first memories taking him to her childhood. She was on a swing in a playground, the breeze running through her hair warm, and the sun making the dark golden tendrils glisten with their movement. She was happy, truly happy. The memory soon faded, but the grin on the Doctor's face did not. The next memory she took them to was when she'd first come aboard the TARDIS and he was in his ninth regeneration. She felt unbelievably happy then, and the Doctor smiled at her memory. She'd never remembered feeling more alive than at that moment. Soon their thoughts were swirling together through her mind once more, and she was standing in the control room with him. He could feel her utter joy at his lips touching hers, their kiss deep and passionate ...

Wait a minute. When exactly had that happened?

The Doctor was swept away into another memory, where he and Rose were in his bedroom - in his bed. They were kissing and it felt absolutely perfect to her - he knew it from her thoughts - could feel her smile. And he was enjoying it as much she was. He looked around within her memory, seeing his room lit with many candles. His room. His bed.

He moved them back to her previous memory, looking around the Console Room of the TARDIS carefully. Finally he took her back to the first memory she'd shown him, feeling the warm breeze as they stood together beside the swings. Rose and the Doctor. Rose all grown up. Holding the Doctor's hand as they watched her younger self on the swings.

But, this wasn't a memory of Rose's - what the hell was going on?

Breaking the link to Rose's mind, the Doctor inched a bit back from her, looking at her smiling face as her eyes opened and met his.

"Rose, I don't know what just happened there, but that's not how it's supposed to be."

"I know," she began, the smile on her face instantly falling as she looked away from him. "I get that we're not supposed to do stuff like that. Crossin' that invisible line an' all."

"No - I mean, I'm not referring to that." The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath, then met her eyes again. "Yes, it's not what we do, I mean, we haven't, not that we couldn't, but ... Rose, that last image, when I was in your mind? It wasn't a memory because it never happened. And that shouldn't have been possible."

"Oh," she spoke quietly. "How d'you suppose it happened then? I mean, I thought you were just tryin' to make it nicer since the last time you tried joining my thoughts was so ... bad." She gave him a small smile, trying not to make him feel guilty over his last attempt.

"I wish I had that ability," the Doctor said wistfully.

"But I didn't do it - it must've been you."

"The only thing I did other than join your mind was make sure you couldn't access any of my memories. That actually can happen, and I didn't want my memories mixing with yours, causing too much confusion. No, there's something very strange going on here, and I don't think you're sick, nor do I believe either of us has been compromised." He paused for a few moments, looking around at Rose's room a bit before looking down, seemingly concentrating on his shoes.

"Doctor, are you all right?"

He stared at Rose after hearing her question for a few moments, unnerving her a bit, though she continued to meet his gaze.

"Of course! Of course-of course-of course!" The Doctor's voice shattered the silence they'd built between them as he stood and yelled out his words, smacking his head with his palm over and over.

OoOoO


	6. Aha!

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

**_Previously, in Chapter Five ..._**

_"Rose, I don't know what just happened there, but that's not how it's supposed to be."_

_"I know," she began, the smile on her face instantly falling as she looked away from him. "I get that we're not supposed to do stuff like that. Crossin' that invisible line an' all."_

_"No - I mean, I'm not referring to that." The Doctor ran his fingers through his hair, took a deep breath, then met her eyes again. "Yes, it's not what we do, I mean, we haven't, not that we couldn't, but ... Rose, that last image, when I was in your mind? It wasn't a memory because it never happened. And that shouldn't have been possible."_

_"Oh," she spoke quietly. "How d'you suppose it happened then? I mean, I thought you were just tryin' to make it nicer since the last time you tried joining my thoughts was so ... bad." She gave him a small smile, trying not to make him feel guilty over his last attempt._

_"I wish I had that ability," the Doctor said wistfully._

_"But I didn't do it - it must've been you."_

_"The only thing I did other than join your mind was make sure you couldn't access any of my memories. That actually can happen, and I didn't want my memories mixing with yours, causing too much confusion. No, there's something very strange going on here, and I don't think you're sick, nor do I believe either of us has been compromised." He paused for a few moments, looking around at Rose's room a bit before looking down, seemingly concentrating on his shoes._

_"Doctor, are you all right?"_

_He stared at Rose after hearing her question for a few moments, unnerving her a bit, though she continued to meet his gaze._

_"Of course! Of course-of course-of course!" The Doctor's voice shattered the silence they'd built between them as he stood and yelled out his words, smacking his head with his palm over and over._

_o_

**Chapter Six**

**Aha!**

o

"Doctor! What is it?" Rose would've been scared if she hadn't seen this sort of lunatic behavior from him before.

He calmed himself instantly and turned to face her with a sudden lurch, kneeling down in front of Rose before addressing her again.

"Rose, tell me the truth. Have you ever gone into my bedroom before?"

"What? Never, I mean, you're hardly ever even in there, far as I know, an' I'm not even sure which one's yours."

"But in your memory, you knew you were in my room, am I right?" He paused as she nodded affirmatively. "Good - we'll get to that later. See, right now here's the thing. Yes, that's my room, but there were a few things in there that I don't have any more. Like the lamp with the emerald jewels on the shade - got rid of it months ago when the stones started falling off. It was beginning to look a bit rubbish towards the end."

"Was probably lookin' that way before the emeralds started comin' off," Rose whispered, earning herself a glare from the Doctor.

"Anyway, there were also a few books on the bookshelves that aren't on my bookshelves. Some I used to have and some I've never had in that room, at least not yet."

"Not yet?"

"Exactly!" The Doctor was positively beaming.

"What?" Rose still looked utterly confused.

He stood up only long enough to sit himself down beside her on the bed, so excited that he had to stop himself from bouncing. "Close your eyes and concentrate. I want you to think back to when you were dreaming and we were in the Console Room."

"All right." Rose closed her eyes, thinking back to the dream, her lips curving up slightly.

"Can you see the room?"

"Yeah."

"Look at the center console. What do you see?"

Rose opened her eyes and looked at the Doctor, then closed her eyes again, seemingly concentrating on what she could remember. A minute later, she was looking at him again.

"It's shinier, isn't it?"

"Yes!" The Doctor exclaimed, hugging her tightly before releasing her.

"What?"

"Rose! Don't you see? It's not the same."

"But it was the TARDIS - I was just dreamin', right?"

"Couldn't be. You've never been in my room before, yet you saw it almost exactly as it is - and as far as I know, you haven't learned any new telepathic skills lately. Soooo, that means there's only one real answer!" He stood then, his excitement getting the better of him.

"What, Doctor? What is the answer?" Rose stood as well, facing the excited Time Lord.

He put his hands on her shoulders, not unlike the way he'd done in her dream. He kept himself silent for a moment, making Rose believe he was enacting a dramatic pause.

"Parallel universe, Rose! It makes sense now - it fits perfectly!"

"I don't understand," Rose spoke quietly, sitting back down on her bed again.

"We're trapped here - in the Void - and the TARDIS can't move." The Doctor began pacing around the room, then froze, standing in front of her. "Yes, yes - it's all coming together now. We're close to a black hole, well, not that close - not close enough to worry about, at least that's what I thought. Really, I didn't think much about it until just now. But I did see that we were a few thousand light years from one."

"And?"

"And, what if there were a parallel universe on the other side of that black hole?"

"And if there was?"

"If there was, we could be intra-dimensional, due to the pull - no matter how slight - on either side of the Black Hole, if it were between us. Unbelievable! I've only heard of it in theory - never, ever thought that it could be proven, and yet ..."

"How are my dreams proof of us bein' in some inter-dimensional time distortion?"

"Intra-dimensional. And those dreams aren't so much proof of that as they are of the parallel universe - you've seen how parallel universes have their differences - some are huge, some are small. They always have some, but they're always similar. And somehow you, Miss Rose Tyler of the Powell Estate, are able to move between them."

"Me?"

He grinned. "Fantastic, isn't it?"

Rose stood suddenly, anger flaring in her eyes as she stared at the Time Lord. "You think this is fantastic? It's bloody hell, is what it is! You're tellin' me that I'm goin' into a parallel universe thanks to some stupid black hole that's not close enough to hurt us and yet we're trapped in the Void because of it?"

"Just an observation. No need to get your knickers in an uproar." He gave her a little grin, hoping she'd calm down. And she did, even if it was only a little bit.

"Rose, I don't mean fantastic as much as I mean that it's an amazing phenomenon. It's something that shouldn't be able to happen. Ever. And yet, here we are. It is what it is. And," he began, taking her hand, "if you can take some sort of control the next time it happens to you, maybe the parallel me and I can figure a way out of this."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I really don't know what else to do to the TARDIS to get us out of this mess. But maybe the other me has seen it before. Remember - similar, but not completely the same."

"But, if I'm in there talking to the other you, where's the other me?"

"Rose Tyler - you are a brilliant one, you are," he began, practically beaming at her. "I think you are actually within yourself - the other Rose's body. Somehow, you're not fracturing the parallel worlds - which I'd have to say comes from the same abilities the black hole is lending you to get there to begin with. That's probably how you knew you were in my bedroom, even though you'd never seen the room before. It sounds as if you're almost sharing spaces with the other you, though I'm fairly certain that's not the case, since it would cause a paradox and all. Still, it's unbelievable and yet, there you are, living proof. Unlike me - apparently I can't travel into their universe like you. You remember when I tried joining your mind while you were still ... connected, it felt like ..."

"You were ripping my head in two," she finished for him quietly.

"Yes. So where you are somehow allowed to pass through to the other dimension of us, I, apparently, am not."

"I wonder why?"

"Could be my Time Lord physiology, though I'm not positive about that. There are so many variables here that I doubt I could actually cover them all, even in my lifetimes."

There was a long silence between them as each contemplated this revelation of sorts. Finally, Rose spoke.

"What would I have to do?"

The Doctor smiled at his companion and her never-ending willingness. "Well, when it happens again, just talk to me - the other me I mean. Tell him what is going on - if you were telling me this, I'm not sure I wouldn't think you were going mad at first, but the more I heard, the more curious I'd be, and I would listen. And since he's so very, very fond of his Rose, I'm sure he'd be willing to listen to you, too. That is, if you two can keep your hands off each other long enough to hold a conversation."

"Oh, isn't that just like you, makin' fun of everythin'. You do realize that you're makin' fun of yourself then, don't you?" Rose asked, her arms folded defensively in front of her.

The Doctor frowned a bit. "Suppose I am," he answered, then grinned slightly. "Good thing I can take it," he said slyly, smiling at her and making her defenses fall. She couldn't help but smile back at him.

"You're still a git."

"And yet you still adore me."

OoOoO

The Doctor and Rose sat around the Console Room for a while - he working beneath the console, she pacing around it - much like when this had all begun.

"I wish it would just happen all ready," Rose said, stubbing the tip of her shoe into the grating below her.

The Doctor poked his head out from below, looking at her with sympathy. "I'm sorry I don't know how to trigger it. Would make it much simpler if I could actually figure that out."

Rose sat down in the captain's chair. "'S all right. It's not your fault."

He shook his head, knowing she was right, then began descending back beneath the flooring again.

"Doctor?"

His head poked back up, giving Rose his undivided attention.

"You saw everything the other Doctor and Rose were doing when I was in her world, in her. Right?"

He cleared his throat, then looked confidently at her. "Only what you allowed me to see when I joined your mind."

"So, what did you think?"

"What do you mean?"

"About ... us. I mean, the other us. We're, we're lovers, in that parallel world."

The Doctor pulled himself up from beneath the grating and walked to Rose, only stopping to sit beside her.

"What did you think about that?" he quietly asked her, watching her facial expressions closely.

Rose looked around the room a moment, then returned her eyes to his. "I liked it. I mean, I was kind of stunned at first, but, well, it just felt like it was, well, like it was meant to be. What do you think about it?"

The Doctor stood, a slight flush rising to his face as he walked back over to the center console. He turned towards her then, speaking as he moved to go back down below it. "I think, Rose Tyler, that after all this mess is over with, you and I need to ... explore our options."

OoOoO


	7. Happy Thoughts

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

_**Previously, In Chapter Six ...**_

_The Doctor and Rose sat around the Console Room for a while - he working beneath the console, she pacing around it - much like when this had all begun._

_"I wish it would just happen all ready," Rose said, stubbing the tip of her shoe into the grating below her._

_The Doctor poked his head out from below, looking at her with sympathy. "I'm sorry I don't know how to trigger it. Would make it much simpler if I could actually figure that out."_

_Rose sat down in the captain's chair. "'S all right. It's not your fault."_

_He shook his head, knowing she was right, then began descending back beneath the flooring again._

_"Doctor?"_

_His head poked back up, giving Rose his undivided attention._

_"You saw everything the other Doctor and Rose were doing when I was in her world, in her. Right?"_

_He cleared his throat, then looked confidently at her. "Only what you allowed me to see when I joined your mind."_

_"So, what did you think?"_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"About ... us. I mean, the other us. We're, we're lovers, in that parallel world."_

_The Doctor pulled himself up from beneath the grating and walked to Rose, only stopping to sit beside her._

_"What did you think about that?" he quietly asked her, watching her facial expressions closely._

_Rose looked around the room a moment, then returned her eyes to his. "I liked it. I mean, I was kind of stunned at first, but, well, it just felt like it was, well, like it was meant to be. What do you think about it?"_

_The Doctor stood, a slight flush rising to his face as he walked back over to the center console. He turned towards her then, speaking as he moved to go back down below it. "I think, Rose Tyler, that after all this mess is over with, you and I need to ... explore our options."_

_o_

**Chapter Seven**

**Happy Thoughts**

Rose didn't know how long she'd been smiling, but figured it was long enough, since her cheeks were beginning to sting. The Doctor had said they needed to 'explore their options'. Well, she had certainly enjoyed 'exploring' a few with the other Doctor.

She'd never thought that he actually wanted that sort of relationship. Although, it did seem he was quite smitten with the lovely Reinette. That thought raised her blood pressure a notch or two. Still, he'd never really attempted to take that extra step with her, and when it came down to it, she was willing to be happy with what he did give of himself, rather than have nothing at all.

Her thoughts wandered to the other Doctor: his hands caressing her body, his lips touching hers, and she couldn't help the tingle that ran through her. The thrill of his touch warmed her. And if she felt this much excitement with only those few encounters from the parallel Doctor, she could only imagine what her Doctor could make her feel. God, she wanted to get their predicament done and over with - now! Then they could move onto other things, as promised.

Other, closer things. Closer proximity to things. Touching things. Tasting ... things.

Damned Doctor and his damned tongue, tasting everything. No wonder her thoughts were all over the place.

Rose shook her head.

OoOoO

The Doctor stood above the grating, watching Rose as she sat where he'd left her, sitting on the bench. Her eyes were glassy and unfocused; her posture was stiff. She seemed to be daydreaming, but as he called her name, he got no response.

He walked quickly towards her, sitting himself right beside her as he waved his hand in front of her eyes, but she didn't flinch. She was frozen in place, like stone.

Not knowing what to do other than wait, he held her hand, hoping she'd be able to talk to his parallel self. Her eyes closed as her body seemed to relax. He wished he could do the same, but at least he didn't feel so panicked this time.

Rose had gone over to the parallel universe again.

The Doctor just wanted this to be over with. He didn't like being trapped - he preferred having control of his surroundings. He practically laughed at himself. Didn't everyone want to be in control of what happened to them? Perhaps that was why he had never tried to pursue more from Rose in a personal relationship. If they were to succumb to their feelings, he knew he'd have no control. He knew he all ready cared too much. Wanted so much. Needed so, so much.

OoOoO

Rose looked around the TARDIS, watching the Doctor as he finally lifted himself from beneath the grating, hopefully finished with working on the ship, this time.

"Still with me?" he asked, smiling as he walked toward her.

"Sure I am. Wouldn't be anywhere else, 'cept in that other dimension-universe thing. But I haven't seemed to've gone there yet."

The Doctor gave her a quizzical grin as he slipped down beside her on the bench. "What's all this?" he asked.

Rose looked at him. "I mean, I haven't turned into a zombie again, have I?"

His smile fell slightly. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Course I am. Just sittin' here, still waitin'."

"Waiting for what? For me?"

"No silly, the other you. Did you hit your head or somethin' down there?"

"Rose? What's going on?" The Doctor looked truly worried, and Rose couldn't help but melt a little at the sight of him. But she didn't swoon. Instead, she turned her eyes away from him and looked closely at the center console. The really shiny, center console.

"Oh!" she said, suddenly standing and backing up a little.

"Rose?" The Doctor stood up slowly, as if perhaps readying to approach an injured animal.

"It's not what you're thinkin'."

"And what is it you think I'm thinking?" he asked, stepping slowly towards her.

Rose met him step for step, she going backwards as he moved forward. "You think somethin's wrong with me, but it's not."

"Well, now that you mention it, you are acting a little ... odd."

"Could you just, you know, stand still for a moment?" she asked, watching him as he stepped closer while she had backed into the center console.

"Did something happen to you while I was working on the ship?" he asked, scratching his brow.

"No. But, you see, what I'm about to tell you, well, I really need you to sit down first. I'm okay - really. But you need to sit so I can talk to you."

"Are you sure you're feeling all right?"

"A little nervous maybe, but well, that's all."

The Doctor looked at her closely for a moment, then dropped his shoulders in submission and turned away from her, walking to the bench and sitting down.

"Comfy?" Rose asked with a nervous grin.

The Doctor simply raised his eyebrows.

"Okay." She walked a few paces to his left, then walked a few more to the right, gathering her thoughts. "It's really funny, it is," she began, then paced a bit more. Finally, she stopped in front of him. "You see, I'm, well, I'm not really who you think I am. I mean, I'm Rose Tyler, but I'm not _your_ Rose Tyler. I'm actually from a parallel universe."

The Doctor let out the breath he'd been holding, exhaling loudly. Then he began chuckling. When he finally calmed down, he smiled at her. "Thank goodness that's all it is. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant."

Rose simply gaped at him, unable to form a retort to his words right away.

"Would that be a bad thing?" she finally managed to ask.

"No, actually, it wouldn't." His eyes left hers for a moment, as if he were contemplating the idea.

"So tell me about this parallel universe you were going on about then," he said all of a sudden, once again giving her his undivided attention.

Rose sat down beside the Doctor, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I'm from another one - on the other side of the black hole. You said - the other you - my Doctor - he said that it's the reason we're stuck in the Vortex an' can't get out. But he figured out that I was travelin' between them, an' he thought that if I talked to you about it then you and he could maybe figure out how he and I can get unstuck, because maybe you'd've gone through this whole bein' stuck in the Vortex thing before where he hasn't. Yet. Somethin' about us all bein' similar but not exactly the same." Rose shook her head. Even she didn't find it believable, and she was the one traveling back and forth between the universes.

"What are the differences Rose, between your universe and mine?"

"You believe me?" She was quite shocked.

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"I dunno. S'pose because it sounds so far-fetched an' all."

"That's why it's so believable," he grinned.

"Well, your console is lots shinier than ours. Oh! An' in his room, you've still got that green lamp - but his is gone."

"Yes, I've been meaning to get rid of that thing - the stones keep falling away."

"That's why he got rid of his. But I'd never been in his room before, and when he joined my mind he saw the differences. That's when he figured out that I must be travelin' between the two worlds - universes - you know - between yours an' mine. He pointed out the stuff that wasn't the same."

The Doctor stood suddenly, turning himself to face Rose. "So you're telling me that it's been _you_ here with me these last few days, not my Rose?" His expression showed mild distress.

"No! I mean, I was with you, but, well, we never, I mean, it didn't get that far between us. When I've been here, on this side, it's been in little amounts of time. An' I was back with my Doctor before you and I ever ..."

"All righty then," he interjected quickly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. He took a moment to absorb the information, then returned to the other questions he had.

The Doctor looked closely at Rose. "So, you've never been in his room?"

Rose looked away from him for a moment, returning her eyes to him with a sad little smile. "We're not like that, in our universe. We've never ..."

"He has no idea what he's missing," he spoke softly, noting her suddenly sad expression.

OoOoO


	8. Revelations

**The Other Side Of Me**

**_Previously, in Chapter Seven ..._**

_The Doctor let out the breath he'd been holding, exhaling loudly. Then he began chuckling. When he finally calmed down, he smiled at her. "Thank goodness that's all it is. For a moment there I thought you were going to tell me you were pregnant."_

_Rose simply gaped at him, unable to form a retort to his words right away._

_"Would that be a bad thing?" she finally managed to ask._

_"No, actually, it wouldn't." His eyes left hers for a moment, as if he were contemplating the idea._

_"So tell me about this parallel universe you were going on about then," he said, once again giving her his undivided attention._

_Rose sat down beside the Doctor, taking a moment to gather her thoughts. "I'm from another one - on the other side of the black hole. You said - the other you - my Doctor - he said that it's the reason we're stuck in the Vortex an' can't get out. But he figured out that I was travelin' between them, an' he thought that if I talked to you about it then you and he could maybe figure out how he and I can get unstuck, because maybe you'd've gone through this whole bein' stuck in the Vortex thing before where he hasn't. Yet. Somethin' about us all bein' similar but not exactly the same." Rose shook her head. Even she didn't find it believable, and she was the one traveling back and forth between the universes._

_"What are the differences Rose, between your universe and mine?"_

_"You believe me?" She was quite shocked._

_"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"_

_"I dunno. Guess because it sounds so far-fetched an' all."_

_"That's why it's so believable," he grinned._

_"Well, your console is lots shinier than ours. Oh! An' in his room, you've still got that green lamp - but his is gone."_

_"Yes, I've been meaning to get rid of that thing - the stones keep falling away."_

_"That's why he got rid of his. But I'd never been in his room before, and when he joined my mind he saw the differences. That's when he figured out that I must be travelin' between the two worlds - universes - you know - between your world an' mine. He pointed out the stuff that wasn't the same."_

_The Doctor stood suddenly, turning himself to face Rose. "So you're telling me that it's been you here with me these last few days, not my Rose?" His expression showed mild distress._

_"No! I mean, I was with you, but, well, we never, I mean, it didn't get that far between us. When I've been here, on this side, it's been in little amounts of time. An' I was back with my Doctor before you and I ever ..."_

_"All righty then," he interjected quickly, scratching the back of his neck. He took a moment to absorb the information, then returned to the other questions he had._

_The Doctor looked closely at Rose. "So, you've never been in his room?"_

_Rose looked away from him for a moment, returning her eyes to him with a sad little smile. "We're not like that, in our universe. We've never ..."_

_"He has no idea what he's missing," he spoke softly, noting her suddenly sad expression._

o

**Chapter Eight **

**Revelations**

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Rose answered, quickly looking away as her fingers wiped swiftly beneath her cheeks.

"Because you and he - you don't share what she and I do." His smile was a little sad when he stepped close enough to her to brush a few strands of hair away from her face, then gently cupped her cheek. "He wants to, you know. Don't let him make you believe any differently. He and you, Rose Tyler and The Doctor, they belong together. Always have, always will." He bent towards her and gently kissed her lips, but did nothing further, stepping back as he stood straight.

"It's funny, but, it almost feels like I'm cheating on my Rose."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. Felt that way for me, too, when I realized you weren't my Doctor. But when I thought I was dreamin', it felt really ... nice."

They stared at each other for a moment, then Rose looked around for a bit, lost for what to say next. "Yeah. Anyway," she began, taking a deep breath, "my Doctor thought that I was somehow joinin' my other self, here in your universe, or we're tradin' spaces or somethin', even though if I were joinin' the other me it should cause some sort of rift. He was thinkin' that because even though I'd never been in his room before, I knew where I was when I was with you, like I was able to keep her memories."

"I really don't believe you and my Rose are joining together in one body, though it could be possible I suppose, but I really doubt it. I'm quite certain it would cause a paradox of sorts. But you could be retaining some of her memories if perhaps she isn't able to go all the way into your body like you are here in hers."

"So, if I'm here, where's the other me? Is she all right?" Rose asked, her concern very clear.

"I'd say she's fine. You've said that you're going back and forth and obviously, I couldn't tell. Which means when you are not here, she is, and seems to be, well, normal."

"How come I seem to be the only one affected by all this black hole mumbo jumbo?"

"You have a different physiology than I do, which is perhaps why your Doctor and I have not been going through what you and my Rose are."

"Yep. That's pretty much what he said."

"Aside from that, it's just you, your Doctor, my Rose, and me in the TARDIS's. We may realize what's happening between the two universes with us, but there may well be hundreds of thousands of other species and planets beyond us that are also being affected. I really don't know how far this goes - never really delved further into it after I got the TARDIS away the last time, I was just grateful that we could get away."

Rose paled - she'd obviously never thought out how far this could all expand to, and how many others it could very well be touching. She'd merely wondered why the Doctors weren't affected. She moved to sit down, then turned back towards the Doctor.

"Wait - the last time? So it's happened before to you?"

"Being stuck in the Vortex, yes. Interchangeable Rose's? No. At least not that I'm aware of, at any rate. And the being stuck part only came about once before, when we were too close to this particular black hole. Happened upon it quite by accident, this time though."

"How's that?"

"My Rose and I, we'd just left Uberrhaust where we'd just narrowly escaped from the Pellanthors."

"An' you set the coordinates for the Void, an' ended up here?"

"You as well, I take it?" the Doctor asked.

"Yeah. But the TARDIS, she was jerking around a bit, an' then she wouldn't do anythin' that the Doctor tried gettin' her to do."

"That's because of this black hole. It's full of debris from Oelorous Seven, a planet that exploded due to it's occupants overzealous want of nuclear power. I haven't actually verified things yet, but I'm almost positive that they were the cause of the birth of this black hole. There have been ionic waves coming from it's outer core, which I believe are unsettling things in the Vortex - something that's never supposed to happen."

"Sounds like it's pretty dangerous."

"Well, not really. I've studied it for a bit and see no harm to the Vortex itself. But there are certain disturbances that cannot be explained, which is probably how you ended up here. So we're going to have to figure this out and put things to rights again. Tell me, what is your Doctor seeing when you are here? What is your body doing when your consciousness comes here to this universe?"

"He says I'm in a trance like state for a while, then I'm just sort of unconscious. Until I come back to ... me."

"Perhaps what pulls you here into this universe cannot complete the transition of my Rose into your universe. I'd be willing to bet that nuclear-infused ions are heavier on your side of the black hole than on this side. Probably gives you that extra 'oomph' to become physically a part of this body, and though my Rose is probably joined to your body, it's not as complete, so she can't interact with your Doctor. It would also explain your experiencing some aspects of knowledge of where we are now, because she's not completely there, on the other side. Would make it quite possible that she's leaving residual memories in her absence, and it would explain why your Doctor's only seeing my Rose in a trance-like state."

"I think I'm gettin' a headache," Rose said with a sigh.

"Not a side affect, I hope."

"Nope. Just you goin' on an' on like my Doctor. I'm sure you know what you're talkin' about, but it kind of gives me a headache just tryin' to process it all." Rose looked tiredly at the Doctor. "I'm never going to be able to explain all this to him."

"You won't have to. He can just have a look in your mind."

"Oh. Yeah, I guess he can."

"Thing is, he's going to have to do what I did the last time I got stuck here, and he'll have to make sure you're on his side of the black hole, and my Rose is on this side. In fact, if we both do it at precisely the same time, it's quite possible we could close it up, and if we do that, we'd better be sure everyone is in their proper universes."

"What has to be done?"

"Simple use of the TARDIS to dispense a little sonic wave filled with nuclide ionized particles that can create a sort of negative energy with the ions all ready within the black hole."

"Doesn't sound real simple."

"But it is - at least in theory. I mean, I'm not positively sure about what'll happen when we both do it simultaneously, but since we're linked by the black hole in both our universes, if we both did it, we may very well resolve the issue of it's existance once and for all." The Doctor looked pleased with himself, a cute sort of arrogance Rose knew all too well from her own Doctor.

"So, how do we do it, then?" she asked.

"Well, we'll have to synchronize our times to be precisely exact between both our universes, and then, most importantly, we'll have to ..."

Feeling light-headed and weak, Rose watched the other Doctor fade away from her vision. She recognized the feeling this time - she was going back to her universe, before having the complete answer to their predicament.

"No!"

OoOoO


	9. Consequences

**The Other Side Of Me**

_**Previously In Chapter Eight...** _

_"What has to be done?"_

_"Simple use of the TARDIS to dispense a little sonic wave filled with nuclide ionized particles that can create a sort of negative energy with the ions all ready within the black hole."_

_"Doesn't sound real simple."_

_"But it is - at least in theory. I mean, I've done it before, but since we're linked by it in both our universes, if we both did it, we may very well resolve the issue once and for all." The Doctor looked pleased with himself, a cute sort of arrogance Rose knew all too well from her own Doctor._

_"So, how do we do it, then?" she asked._

_"Well, we'll have to synchronize our times to be precisely exact between both our universes, and then, most importantly, we'll have to ..."_

_Feeling light-headed and weak, Rose watched the other Doctor fade away from her vision. She recognized the feeling this time - she was going back to her universe, before having the complete answer to their predicament._

_"No!"_

o

**Chapter Nine**

**Consequences**

The Doctor stared at his hand, the one that held Rose's. He'd carried her to her room, hoping she'd be more comfortable when she came back to him. But he had to admit that this was taking it's toll on her. She was obviously beyond tired; even in her unconscious state he could see the dark circles under her closed eyes. Her complexion was not the glowing peach it normally was. And when she was awake - when she _was_ with him, her eyes weren't nearly half as bright.

He knew this situation would have to be resolved soon before it took more from Rose than she would be capable of giving.

He sat beside her on the bed, back supported by pillows as he stared at the wall in front of him for such a time that his eyes began to tear up. Wiping them, he heaved a deep sigh and squeezed Rose's hand slightly. Placing their joined hands in his lap, the Doctor allowed his eyes to close, taking what little rest he could while feeling her normal pulse beneath his fingertips.

"No!"

Rose's sudden outburst as she sat straight up had the Doctor literally jumping - and falling - off the bed. Recovering swiftly, he got to his knees, hands on the bed as he looked at her.

"Rose?"

She turned then, looking down at the Doctor, then her surroundings, before returning her eyes back to him.

"I'm back."

"Yes. How are you feeling?" he asked, standing up quickly then sitting himself beside her again, making sure to face her so he could see her clearly.

"'M okay, I s'pose." She turned herself abruptly to face him. "There's so much you need to know, Doctor. He - the other Doctor, he's been through this before, and he told me a lot of things - but when he was tellin' me exactly what you and he had to do at the same time, I came back here! The timing of this thing is really awful."

"It's all right, Rose. We'll find a way to get out of this mess, I'm sure of it." He gave her his most confident of smiles as he reassuringly squeezed her shoulders. "In the meantime, let's walk to the kitchen and we'll talk about it all over something nutritious."

"No, Doctor. There's a lot I have to tell you and he said you're probably gonna have to join my mind to get it all. I'm not hungry."

The Doctor looked at her with a serious expression. "Do you even remember the last time you ate?"

She looked at him, then looked down, finding an imaginary spot on her comforter extremely interesting. "No, but -"

"That's what I thought. Rose, look at me," he began, lifting her chin with the softest of touches until her eyes met his. "I don't really care if we're trapped in the void forever - as long as you're all right. But this is taking it's toll on you. You might not be willing to admit it, but I can see it - very clearly."

"I'm fine."

"Good!" The Doctor suddenly stood, grabbing Rose's hands and pulling her up with him. "Then tell me all about your latest trip to the other universe over a good and proper meal."

Rose stood beside him, hands still within his. She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed the Doctor on the cheek. "Thank you."

"What for?" he asked softly.

"For carin' so much."

OoOoO

One nutritious, picked-at meal later and Rose was still talking continuously about her latest trip into the parallel world.

The Doctor listened intently, though he found his mind wandering to that very same alternate universe she was elaborating about - for entirely the wrong reasons.

The other Doctor and the other Rose were intimate, where he and his Rose were not. He'd thought about taking that step many a time before - even in his previous incarnation if he were honest with himself. But he'd always opted to take the safe path. Emotions were complicated - especially with humans. And this human was more complicated than any of his previous companions before her. Rose was ultimately his Plus One. Eternally. Forever in his hearts.

"Doctor? You listenin' to me?"

He shook his head briefly as if clearing the cobwebs from his mind. "Course I am."

"Really?" Rose began, staring at him across the kitchen table. "What'd I just say then?"

The Doctor had the decency to look down at his hands as his digits twirled around one another. "Well, maybe I wasn't paying as close attention as I should have."

"What were you thinkin' about?"

"Nothing, really. Just contemplating the parallel universe and what you'd said before." His avoidance skills were improving. "It's true you know, what he said. I'm probably going to have to join your mind to be sure of everything he is telling us to do. Are you all right with that?"

"Yeah, though you might want to wait until I go back again. He was right in the middle of tellin' me exactly what you both need to do when I suddenly came back here."

"I'm sure I can figure it out - he _is_ me, in a way. Respectively speaking. Regardless, you should concentrate on eating the food in front of you. Really, if you don't I'll have no choice but to give you nutrients intravenously."

"I'm fine," she told him quickly, then changed the subject. "So, all I need is to go over there one more time and then we'll have our answers, right?"

"Sounds that way. If your body can handle it," he answered almost cryptically.

"One more trip should finish the job - you said so yourself."

Rose knew there was more he wanted to say. But when she stood, she felt the familiar whooshing begin in her ears and she practically grinned - he couldn't argue with her now that she was moving between universes again.

It never occurred to her that her body was as weak as the Doctor had feared and she was suddenly unable to keep her hold on consciousness.

OoOoO

"Rose - look at me. Come on - open your eyes."

Rose's eyes slowly opened, much to the Doctor's relief.

"Wha - what happened?"

He smiled kindly. "You passed out."

"Which universe is this?"

"You're home, Rose. You were getting up from the table and you fainted. I told you to eat more, but that doesn't matter now. I've got an I.V. hooked up here and before you get up again I'm going to make sure you're better." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Even if I have to tie you to this couch."

Rose actually felt the heat of her blush. She couldn't help but grin at the Doctor, still a mere few inches from her face. "You're sure I'm in the right universe?"

He suddenly pulled himself away from her, clearing his throat. After a few moments, he muttered a 'Yeah' as he ran his fingers through his hair. His composure regained, he leant forward. "I told you this would happen. Luckily it wasn't worse."

"But I did eat a little. How come I just fell over like that?"

"From what I've gathered through a few tests and my expert knowledge, it looks like every time you go through to the parallel universe, it's weakening your systems. Apparently traveling back and forth between parallel worlds can be hazardous to your health. Seems your mind not being with your body, so to speak, is interfering with normal functions. Even more so when you don't seem to realize how important it is to care of yourself."

"So fix it and let's be done with it, yeah? 'Cause I've still got one more trip to make."

"It's not that simple."

"Course it is. You're the Doctor."

"And you're my impossible patient," he admonished, his grin belying the stern words. He began pulling out the intravenous line, Rose hardly feeling the needle leaving her arm.

"What are you doin'?"

"Finishing up of course. Unless you'd like to stay in here a bit longer?" he asked, his left eyebrow raised.

Rose sat up. "How long have I been in here?"

"A little over two hours." He helped her to stand, keeping a hand on her shoulder as he lead them out of the Infirmary. "Now that I'm sure your electrolytes and potassium levels are back up where they should be, you can go to your room and rest there."

She gave him a look that, if read right, thought him insane as they both stood still in the hallway. "But I can't rest, Doctor."

"Ah, but you can, and you will. I'm serious, Rose. You have no idea how depleted your body's immune system has become just since we became trapped in the Vortex. I will not let you become ill or worse just to get us out of here."

She stood there for a moment, at first looking at nothing before meeting his eyes with hers. "I don't think we have a choice about that," she said, just before her focus on him went blank.

OoOoO

The Doctor glanced at Rose now and then as he worriedly paced back and forth beside her bed. He'd caught her just as she fell forward in the hallway; clearly her consciousness had departed to the other universe. Well, he had to admit he wasn't totally sure at first. After all, it hadn't been that long ago that she'd literally passed out on him. But yes, he'd checked her over and scanned her with his sonic screwdriver and had indeed determined that she was in that trance-like state that blatantly said 'out to the other universe, back in a few' like a flashing neon sign.

He was not jealous of his other self over there. Not totally. Though his mirror image had gone and kissed Rose. And touched her. He'd seen that much in her mind before. But it would do no one good if he were to dwell on the intimate details.

_Intimate._

The Doctor sat down beside Rose on the bed. He couldn't be jealous of himself. Well, he shouldn't be; didn't mean he wasn't though.

OoOoO

Rose awoke to find herself lying flat on a couch in the Infirmary. She'd obviously fainted again. Just what she needed: possible universes to save and her body deciding to just pass out whenever it pleased. She was going to have a hard time convincing the Doctor that she was all right now. It had been bloody hell trying to convince him the last time when she'd only passed out once.

"Rose! You're awake! How are you feeling?" he asked right on cue, apparently psychic, she thought sarcastically.

"I feel good. Whatever you gave me must've worked," she answered, giving him wattage when she smiled and sat up.

"That's odd, actually, because I haven't given you anything. You've been unconscious almost half an hour now. I can only imagine that this parallel universe thing must really be taking its toll on you."

"No it's not - I'm fine. I just need to go back again, just once more. Then it can all be over with."

The Doctor sat beside her, his hip against hers. "I beg your pardon?"

"What?"

"Rose, are you confused?"

She looked around the Infirmary, but found no definable differences. She thought perhaps she'd gone to the parallel universe, but if she had, things wouldn't look exactly the same, would they?

She eyed the Time Lord, searching for anything different from the last time she'd passed out. She saw nothing. But when his hand began a soothing descent down her arm and then rested on her thigh, she knew her Doctor would not be so intimate.

"Oh."

Rose jumped off the couch, away from the Doctor and found the room spinning when she stood up. The Doctor, always thinking fast, was on his feet in mere seconds, stopping her from her head-first tumble towards the floor.

"Rose!"

She looked up at him, getting her bearings as she stood straight with his help. "Yeah, I'm Rose, but not your Rose."

OoOoO


	10. Fade To Black

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

_**Previously in Chapter Nine ...**_

__

Rose awoke to find herself lying flat on a couch in the Infirmary. She'd obviously fainted again. Just what she needed: possible universes to save and her body deciding to just pass out whenever it pleased. She was going to have a hard time convincing the Doctor that she was all right now. It had been bloody hell trying to convince him the last time when she'd only passed out once.

"Rose! You're awake! How are you feeling?" he asked right on cue, apparently psychic, she thought sarcastically.

"I feel good. Whatever you gave me must've worked," she answered, giving him wattage when she smiled and sat up.

"That's odd, actually, because I haven't given you anything. You've been unconscious almost half an hour now. I can only imagine that this parallel universe thing must really be taking its toll on you."

"No it's not - I'm fine. I just need to go back again, just once more. Then it can all be over with."

The Doctor sat beside her, his hip against hers. "I beg your pardon?"

"What?"

"Rose, are you confused?"

She looked around the Infirmary, but found no definable differences. She thought perhaps she'd gone to the parallel universe, but if she had, things wouldn't look exactly the same, would they?

She eyed the Time Lord, searching for anything different from the last time she'd passed out. She saw nothing. But when his hand began a soothing descent down her arm and then rested on her thigh, she knew her Doctor would not be so intimate.

"Oh."

Rose jumped off the couch, away from the Doctor and found the room spinning when she stood up. The Doctor, always thinking fast, was on his feet in mere seconds, stopping her from her head-first tumble towards the floor.

"Rose!"

She looked up at him, getting her bearings as she stood straight with his help. "Yeah, I'm Rose, but not your Rose."

**Chapter Ten**

**Fade To Black**

Once the Doctor was sure she could stand on her own, he shuffled her back towards the couch, making sure she sat down before her strength failed her.

"Well, this is somethin' new I guess. I was feelin' a little off before I came here to your TARDIS. I was in the Infirmary there, too, but then I was out in the corridor with my Doctor, an' started feelin' funny ... I guess I thought I'd landed back in the Infirmary in my own universe at first."

"Yes, well, my Rose was in here as well. This intra-universal transference between the two of you is taking its toll."

"That's what my Doctor said."

"Rose, why did you try to run from me?"

"Dunno. I s'pose I wasn't thinkin' too straight at the moment."

"You did it because of _me_, didn't you." It wasn't a question.

"No! I mean, you're the Doctor - just not my Doctor."

"Which became obvious when I touched you."

"He touches me," she responded almost defensively.

"Not like a lover does."

Rose looked around the Infirmary, doing her best to ignore his statement. When she finally did meet his eyes, she realized the Doctor was staring at her intently. "Wait a minute. You said your Rose wasn't feelin' well? What's wrong with her?" she asked, feeling glad she could change the subject. "I thought she couldn't travel to my universe like I'm travelin' here."

"No, not completely like you are; all she seems aware of when you're here and she's there is a loss of time. But my Rose is still getting moved about like you, she's just not completely transferring over to your universe, according to my calculations. That puts quite a strain on something as fragile as the human psyche. Think of it like running a marathon, only it's your mind instead of your body that's being stressed."

"I think that's the first dream I had, you know, when this all started."

"What's that?" the Doctor asked gently.

"I was runnin' somewhere. It was pretty, an' I wasn't like, runnin' for my life or anythin'. Just joggin'. Then you or my Doctor, I don't know which, came up to me, but I didn't recognize you. Or him. Anyway, he said, 'remember me' an' I took his hand an' then I remembered stuff that had happened with me an' my Doctor, an' tons of stuff that hadn't happened. All sorts of memories comin' at me."

"Perhaps they were memories from the both of you. That dream, as you call it, was probably your mind's way of combining them all."

"Is she gonna be all right? The other me?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "I believe so. You tell me - you are in her body, after all. I'd say that would give you the upper hand on my Rose's diagnosis."

Rose returned his smile. "I think she's gonna be just fine. So, how 'bout you tell me the rest of what I need to know so my Doctor an' you can fix this once an' for all?"

"Over tea?"

She nodded, then took the hand the Doctor offered.

OoOoO

Rose Tyler wanted to go home. Not to Jackie Tyler - though she missed her quite much. No, she wanted to be back in her TARDIS with her Doctor. It just felt really weird. This Doctor had given her all the information she would need for her Doctor to do what was needed at the appropriate time, and all he had to do was join her mind, get all the information, and it would be done. Each Doctor and Rose in their respective universes, saving the day and running for their lives. As it should be.

But now, as she sat across from the other Doctor in his parallel kitchen, the silence had grown rather uncomfortable between them. And she just wished she'd jump back to her own universe and be done with all this. After all, there were things that she and _her_ Doctor needed to discuss.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Your nose. It's bleeding."

Quickly bringing her hand to her face, she swiped her fingers beneath her nose, drawing them back to see that they'd been smeared with blood.

The next thing she knew, the Doctor was standing beside her, raising a napkin towards her face.

"Lean back," he said gently, supporting the back of her head with his other hand.

OoOoO

"This is going to have to be the last time for you to travel between universes. You have to make that absolutely clear to your Doctor as soon as you're back with him," the Doctor stated as he clicked off his sonic screwdriver.

Nose bleed diminished, she finished wiping her face with the wet towel he'd given her and nodded, acknowledging his words.

The next thing she knew he was framing her face with his hands, fingers splayed and holding her so that she was looking directly at him. He was talking to her, but she felt somewhat foggy for a moment.

"I mean it, Rose. One more trip back here and you'll both not likely survive. I'm hoping your Doctor has realized this as well, but regardless, he and I will have to make sure this cannot happen again."

"How's that possible?" she asked, noting he was still holding her.

"As soon as you are back with your Doctor, you must have him join your mind right away," he said, no longer touching her face. "He'll enter your thoughts and know what I've told you, and he'll know what to do."

"Am I sick? 'Cause I really don't feel bad."

"That's because you're sitting down and relaxed." He sat beside her and grabbed hold of her hand, squeezing it within his own. "Trust me on this."

"I do," she answered without hesitation. He smiled.

And then he kissed her.

And everything faded to black.

OoOoO

"Doctor."

The word was spoken so lightly that the Time Lord thought he'd simply imagined it. He looked at Rose, but nothing had changed since the last time he'd glanced at her mere moments before. Her eyes were still closed, her breathing deep and steady.

"Doctor?"

Yes! She _was_ calling to him. Her respirations were up a little, but other than that, there were no definable changes.

"Rose? I'm right here. Open your eyes."

The last time she'd come back to him from the other universe, Rose had startled him - a small feat for her side of the scoreboard. It was as if someone had flipped on a switch and there she was, back with him. This time, she was rather groggy, even after he'd leant over her and shaken her shoulders slightly.

Finally, her eyes opened, and when she saw him, she smiled. "My Doctor," she whispered, her eyes closing again.

"Rose, stay with me. Come on," he prodded, pulling her upwards until she sat up beside him, leaning heavily in his hold.

When her eyes finally opened, she smiled at him, and he couldn't help smiling back at her.

"Hello." She leaned over into his shoulder, and he hugged her fiercely.

"Rose, are you all right?"

"Yeah."

The Doctor pulled back from her, waiting until she was able to balance herself sitting up before he let her go.

"I need to join your mind, Rose. I don't know how much time we've got but I have to know the other Doctor's plans so that we can get this done right the first time. We won't have another opportunity."

Rose nodded. "Yeah, I know. It's okay. Jus' do it."

"You're sure?"

She nodded. "I don't want to leave you again."

The Doctor smiled approvingly and leaned towards her, brushing her forehead with a kiss before leaning back and placing his fingers gingerly around her face, framing her for his eyes alone.

"Close your eyes."

Rose did as she was told, exhaling a sigh.

"That's it. Just relax. If there's anything you don't want me to see, simply block it from my view with your mind."

The Doctor concentrated on his task, going through all of the other Doctor's instructions and paying infinite detail to each and every one of them. Then he seemed to stiffen for a moment, his eyes opening wide.

Rose's eyes were still closed and she was still relaxed - she obviously hadn't known that the other Doctor had sent this message to him. Something he himself had not thought could possibly be done. An implanted message - almost like a note on a wall, waiting to be seen. To him, it was genius, and any other time, he'd be impressed.

This was not that time.

"Rose, I want you to open your eyes now." His voice was silk and she did as she was told, wanting to see the face that went with it.

The Doctor smiled at Rose, his face inches from her own. "Okay?" he asked, gently removing his touch as he brought his hands down to hold hers.

"Yeah. Did you get all the information you needed?"

"Yes. He was very thorough."

"Just like you would've been."

"Come on then," the Doctor said, pulling her up with him. "I need to run by the Infirmary and then we'll get this show on the road." He watched her stand, making sure her legs would hold her, and they began walking into the corridor.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"What's that?" he replied.

"Why the Infirmary? I thought you had to send out ionic things at the precise same time an' all that other stuff he said. Why are we goin' to the infirmary?"

The Doctor smiled at Rose. "To get those ionic things," he grinned.

He hated lying to her. But really, there was no other choice.

OoOoO


	11. A Little Deception

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

_**Previously In Chapter Ten...**_

__

"Rose, I want you to open your eyes now." His voice was silk and she did as she was told, wanting to see the face that went with it.

The Doctor smiled at Rose, his face inches from her own. "Okay?" he asked, gently removing his touch as he brought his hands down to hold hers.

"Yeah. Did you get all the information you needed?"

"Yes. He was very thorough."

"Just like you would've been."

"Come on then," the Doctor said, pulling her up with him. "I need to run by the Infirmary and then we'll get this show on the road." He watched her stand, making sure her legs would hold her, and they began walking into the corridor.

"Why?" she asked quietly.

"What's that?" he replied.

"Why the Infirmary? I thought you had to send out ionic things at the precise same time an' all that other stuff he said. Why are we goin' to the infirmary?"

The Doctor smiled at Rose. "To get those ionic things," he grinned.

He hated lying to her. But really, there was no other choice.

OoOoO

o

**Chapter Eleven**

**A Little Deception **

Rose sat up on the examination couch while the Doctor dove in and out of several drawers, searching for and finding the equipment he would need. Finishing his delving, he placed several items in his left pocket, and one in his right, then turned quickly toward Rose.

"We haven't got much time," he stated calmly as he positioned himself in front of her.

"That's what he said. Funny, you two say a lot of the same things."

"Same Doctor?" he asked with a grin.

"Nope. You're all mine," she told him, reaching for his hand and squeezing it. He returned her hold, then pulled her hand to his lips, kissing it. He stared at her for a moment, his eyes brimming with many emotions. "I'm sorry, Rose."

The Doctor took her hand and held it tightly as he pressed a silver hypo to her wrist.

"Doctor! What are you doin'?"

"Sedating you. It's the only way. The other Doctor sent me a message within your subconscious to do this. I suppose he didn't think you'd actually pass that message along, so he linked his mind with yours to inform me. Made sure I'd see it when I joined your mind to get all the information. He's worried that if you and his Rose aren't both sedated, you might slip back over one last time. I agree with him, and I simply can't risk it."

"He didn't, I mean, I don't remember ... damn."

"If you're not both unconscious while we're trying to steer ourselves clear of that black hole simultaneously, it's quite possible that you could switch back again and then be lost this universe forever. I'm afraid I just can't take that chance."

"But what about everythin' that needs to be done? I've got to help you," her voice faded a bit; she was quickly feeling the effects of the sedative.

"I'll take care of everything, Rose. I promise," he said, helping her to lie down on the examination table. "I'm sorry, but I'm not about to lose you," he whispered, grabbing her wrist and checking her pulse as her eyes closed. Once he was sure she was not in any danger, the Doctor headed for the Console Room.

OoOoO

Rose opened her eyes slowly, barely flinching at the sudden confusion that crept within her thoughts as she awoke. She'd become accustomed to it - confusion about her whereabouts and confusion about parallel universes, and most of all, confusion about which Doctor she would end up with this time.

Her memories seemed hazy, blurred between and around each other to the point she couldn't tell if she'd been dreaming some things or had actually experienced them.

Leaning up on her elbows, she realized quickly that she was in the Infirmary. But which one? Both universes had identical Infirmaries as far as she could tell.

And then she remembered: he'd sedated her. Drugged her to keep her from going across one last time to the other universe. He'd said he wasn't about to lose her. She smiled at the memory. But then he'd knocked her out! Could he do all those things the other Doctor had told her needed to be done? Alone?

Rose sat up quickly - too quickly, in fact. The sound of blood pumping loudly in her ears told her as much; she'd felt that before, right when she was about to pass out. But there was no way she'd allow that to happen now. She had to go help the Doctor, had to make sure he was all right. There was so much to be done...

Rose slipped off the couch, letting her feet hit the white tiled floor as slowly as she could manage. That task accomplished, she straightened her legs, gradually shifting her weight from the support of the table. But unexpectedly her knees gave out as soon as she'd straightened them. And abruptly the floor came up quickly towards her face. Then suddenly, everything went black.

OoOoO

The Doctor walked toward the Infirmary, looking quite pleased with himself. Through all his efforts and calculations, they were free of the black hole and its hold on them in the Vortex. In this instance, he couldn't wait to tell Rose that two Doctors were definitely better than one. He with his Rose, the other Doctor with his. Yes, life on the TARDIS was ready to start up again. New adventures, new thrills, new places to visit, new villains to flee ...

Walking into the Infirmary, the Doctor's smile faded instantly as his mind registered the image of Rose on the floor beside the examination couch. Quickly running towards her, he was on his knees in an instant, gently calling her name as he pulled out his sonic screwdriver.

"Rose? Rose! Can you hear me?" he asked in a desperate tone, reaching for her wrist and showing slight relief upon feeling her pulse beneath his fingertips. His hands began trailing her body, feeling along her skull and neck, then down her limbs, checking for any injury. Finding no broken bones, he adjusted the screwdriver, setting the instrument to scan her as he continued calling to her, hoping that her fall hadn't broken anything that his cursory examination had failed to detect.

Finding only a mild concussion to explain her collapse, which more than likely happened when she'd tried to get herself off of the table, the Doctor easily lifted her and placed her back upon it. She'd hit her head; whether it was from coming off the examination couch or when she landed on the floor, he wasn't sure. He was sure, however, that he could fix this.

But ...

When had she awakened? Had it been after he and the other Doctor had extracted themselves from the black hole's lure, or perhaps, before? It would be easy enough to tell once he'd roused her from her unconscious state - but what if it wasn't his Rose?

If this wasn't his Rose, she'd be lost to him. Forever.

OoOoO

The Doctor paced back and forth beside the examination couch, looking worriedly now and then at the prone figure on top of it. He'd checked her over thoroughly, finding a few bruises, apparently from her fall, and a small contusion above her left temple, obviously from her collision with the couch. All were fixable and had been taken care of expediently in his haste to make everything all right. But he couldn't make things right if he didn't know exactly if she were his Rose, could he? And, if his Rose was lost to the other universe, he'd never be able to help her again.

He wanted to wake her. But she needed to rest. Some things he could fix easily in the Infirmary; some things, like her body's need for recuperative rest after traveling between universes in parallel worlds, she could only achieve on her own. Rose would awaken when her body was ready to. Whichever Rose this was.

The Doctor finally rolled up a stool beside her and sat down, watching intently each breath she took, each involuntary twitch of her muscles.

What would he do when she woke up? It would not be so easy to know which Rose was with him, not like before. Before, the other Rose couldn't completely convert over to this universe. Now, with the two worlds completely closed off from one another, she could - would, if it were her that was here.

What would he ask her? How would he truly know?

OoOoO

Rose's sudden intake of air had him staring at her features, holding his own breath without his knowledge. He pushed the stool aside as he stood, frozen and impatient, waiting. When her eyelids began to flutter with movement, his breath washed over her face as he leaned down above her.

"Rose?"

"Doctor?" The word whispered from her lips, and he couldn't help the slight relief that his body felt, relaxing tense muscles, if only minimally.

"I'm right here, Rose. Open your eyes."

"So tired."

"I know, but I need you to open your eyes. C'mon, let me have a look at you."

When her eyes opened, they met his immediately. She didn't look at her surroundings, didn't question a thing.

"Hello," she said, giving him a small smile.

"Oh, hello Rose Tyler. Hello!" he replied, his smile broad.

"Is it over?" she asked.

"Hope so."

"What, you don't know?"

"Well, what I do know is that we're floating around in the Vortex as we naturally should. The other Doctor and I, we managed to close up the black hole."

"And?"

"And, we can move about freely once more. No more troubles with the TARDIS - she's good as gold, this ship."

"But?" she asked, looking at him with concern.

"But," he began, standing back from her and taking a deep breath, "what I still don't know is whether or not you're my Rose from my universe. That's a rather trickier trick to figure out."

"But, but you said that you were sedatin' me so I couldn't go back - I remember," Rose exclaimed, lifting herself up on her elbows.

"Ah, yes I did. What I didn't plan for, however, was you coming out from the sedation as early as you did."

"I did?"

"Yes, you did. When I got everything done, I came back here and found you on the floor. You'd obviously come round at some point. I just don't know when."

"Oh God. You might not be my Doctor?"

"And you may not be my Rose."

Suddenly, Rose knew exactly what she had to do. She had to know. And had to know now. Jumping down from the examination couch, she ran around it and the Doctor, racing into the corridor with astounding speed.

She was running on fear and adrenaline, not feeling anything but the need for the truth. The Doctor took off after her.

She was fast on her feet and the Doctor finally caught up to her, finding Rose nearly hysterical as she sat on the floor beneath the center console. He stopped in front of her, falling to his knees as his hands landed on her shoulders.

She was laughing and crying all at once, seemingly bordering on hysteria.

"Rose! Rose! What's wrong?"

"The console - it's the right one," she said between gasps for air. "This is my universe; you're my Doctor," she said happily, tears falling down her cheeks. "I'm home."

Rose's last two words were spoken through muffled sobs into his suit jacket, where she collapsed in his hold. The Doctor held her tightly, smiling into her hair.

"Oh Rose, I'm so glad it's you, too."

"I was kinda scared."

"So was I," he hugged her tighter, still whispering in her hair. "... so was I."

OoOoO

It hadn't been very long since the Doctor had pulled Rose up from the grating and sat her down beside him in the captain's chair. It seemed he couldn't get enough of simply holding her, knowing this whole mess was finally resolved and they were where they belonged.

He'd talked her into lying down eons ago, but had been reluctant to take her to her room. He selfishly didn't want to leave her alone.

They eventually did manage to stand up and head down the corridor, making sure neither let go of the other.

"Will you, you know, stay with me for a little while?" Rose asked as they neared her room. Those words were magic to his ears.

"Of course I will," he answered simply.

OoOoO

They lay beside each another atop Rose's bed, still holding hands, and the Doctor was listening. Listening to the sound of life as she took each rhythmic breath. Even with those sweet sounds, and the feel of her pulse within his grasp, he was finding it hard to believe that this was finally over and she was with him, exactly where she belonged.

His Rose.

He exhaled a long breath as he let the comfort of her nearness wash over him.

"Doctor?"

He should have been surprised that she was awake, but he wasn't.

"Yes, Rose?"

"You okay?"

"Course I am. You?"

"Yeah."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah. Just thinkin' 'bout this. Can't seem t'not think about it."

They both turned onto their sides, facing each other as they still held hands. The Doctor took his other hand and brushed the hair from her eyes. "It's all right, you know. We're safe and we're where we should be."

"With each other," Rose added, looking at the Doctor as if for confirmation. He nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, she was close. Then she was kissing him; a not-so chaste kiss full of promise and hope that ended as quickly as it began.

"Rose ..."

"Yeah?"

He looked at her. Really looked into her eyes, then sighed deeply, closing his own as if pained by what he saw there. Gently, he disengaged himself from the hand that held his and stood up from the bed.

"Doctor? Where're you goin'?"

He turned away from her, not knowing if he could say what he wanted to while looking in her eyes. It was the coward's way, he knew. Still ...

"Rose, it's not that I don't want this. This ... us. It's just that ... I honestly don't know how I'd be able to live without it, once you're gone."

He stared at her bedroom door, keeping his distance. The more distance from her, the better he'd be able to justify his words. He didn't expect the hands that came around his waist, her warm body conforming to his as Rose hugged him from behind.

"Can't we just enjoy the time we do have together?"

Rose didn't hide her disappointment when he pulled away from her again, turning round to face her immediately. He had to make her understand.

He raked his fingers through his hair. "Rose, this can't happen."

OoOoO


	12. Just the Two Of Us

**The Other Side Of Me**

o

**A/N:** Thank you all so very much for the kind words and encouraging praises. It's been a lot of fun sharing this with you!

o

_**Previously, in Chapter Eleven...**_

_  
"Doctor? Where're you goin'?" _

_  
He turned away from her, not knowing if he could say what he wanted to while looking in her eyes. It was the cowards way, he knew. Still ... _

_"Rose, it's not that I don't want this. It's just that ... I don't know how I'd be able to live without it, once you're gone." _

_  
He stared at her bedroom door, keeping his distance. The more distance from her, the better he'd be able to justify his words. He didn't expect the hands that came around his waist, her warm body conforming to his as Rose hugged him from behind. _

_  
"Can't we just enjoy the time we do have together?" _

_  
Rose didn't hide her disappointment when he pulled away from her again, turning round to face her immediately. He had to make her understand. _

_He raked his fingers through his hair. "Rose, this can't happen." _

o

**Chapter Twelve**

**Just the Two Of Us**

She stared at him as tears filled her eyes, but made no move towards him. "I thought we were going to discuss this. Not have a one-sided lecture where you'd made all the choices an' decisions for us both."

"Rose - I didn't, I mean, I'm not trying to do that. I just don't want you to get hurt. Don't you see? If we move forward, it's only going to mean more pain for us both in the end."

"So, we should tuck away our feelin's and pretend they never existed? Is that what you _really_ want?"

The Doctor looked down at the floor. "No." He looked up at Rose then, letting her see all the emotions he felt, all shown clearly in his eyes. "You have to understand. Solitude is my penance. It's what I must endure for the things that I've seen. Things that I've done. The times I have lived through and will continue living through are always going to be shrouded with that dark, thunderous cloud."

"You should be able to see the silver linin', Doctor, 'cause it's standin' right in front of you," she replied, her look hopeful and sorrowful all at once.

He stared at Rose intensely as a myriad of feelings poured through his thoughts. Then he stopped thinking, as there was suddenly no thought to his next actions. The Doctor swooped down on Rose, gently holding her face within his hands as he kissed her.

He kissed her passionately and thoroughly, and when the kiss was finally broken, he kissed her nose before pulling away.

"I want you to get some rest," he whispered, his breath touching her lips. "I'll be back later to check on you, all right?" He kissed her on the forehead and turned around, walking out into the hallway.

Rose practically laughed at him as she stepped out of her room as well, making the Doctor turn back around. "What? Are you tryin' to be funny? How'm I s'posed to relax after ... that?" She waved an arm wildly towards her room.

"Rose ..."

This time it was Rose who initiated the kiss, pushing into his personal space and holding onto him fiercely. The kiss was as intense as the first, but this time, when the Doctor separated from Rose, it was with no intentions of finishing the moment. Pushing Rose against the wall beside her bedroom door, his mouth descended on hers, devouring her being as he pressed into her. Chest against chest. Hearts to heart. Bodies molding together and fitting almost perfectly had it not been for the layers of clothing.

When they finally became unattached to simply breathe, the Doctor kept his face mere inches from hers.

"When I said I wanted you to rest, it was no attempt at humor." His voice was low and commanding and Rose could do nothing but give him her undivided attention. He gently tugged her bottom lip with his teeth, then kissed her fully again. It was a while before either came up for air. When they did, Rose was gasping, and the Doctor practically growled.

"I have no intention of causing you any harm, which is why I'm telling you to believe my words when I say this: You. Are. Going. To. Need. To. Rest." Each word was separated by a kiss along her neck. He brought his lips back to hers again and Rose moaned in response. The heat she felt from his words and very promising actions had her blood boiling. When the two finally separated again, the Doctor grinned down upon her. "To bed with you. Alone." he whispered, then turned and walked away.

Rose stared at his retreating form for a moment, her fingers absently rubbing across her lips. When her eyes finally regained focus, she also found her voice.

"How the hell am I s'posed to sleep now?!"

The Doctor stopped once more and turned to face her, a devilish grin on his features. "Why not try a hot bath?"

OoOoO

Rose had to admit it; the bath was wonderfully soothing and calming. She hadn't realized how tense she was until she'd been seated in the tub for about five minutes. It was then that it felt like her body had literally drained all the tension away. And it felt simply divine.

The water's temperature was perfect - steamy warm, but not overly so. And the candles she'd lit only enhanced the spicy floral fragrance from the oils she'd added to the bath. Maybe she would be able to get some rest after all ...

Rose heard the door to the bathroom open, followed by the Doctor's voice.

"Lights low."

He entered the room swiftly, and Rose could barely see the outline of his form when he approached her as her eyes adjusted to the lowered lamps. He wore only a towel, wrapped lowly at his hips.

There were a few candles on the shelves that Rose had lit when she'd started filling her ceramic haven, and now she was more than grateful that she had. The warm light they gave off cast the Doctor in a most surreal glow as he neared her. She straightened, curiosity compelling her to sit up, need begging her to invite him in. But she did not speak. She didn't have to.

Wordlessly, the Doctor dropped the towel at the side of the over-sized bath then stepped into the steaming water. He gently slid in behind her, settling himself smoothly between Rose and the back of the tub.

The thrill of feeling the Doctor at her back had Rose shivering with anticipation. Neither uttered a sound. She simply leaned back, feeling his arms come welcoming around her, hugging her in a loving embrace. Bliss.

He took the sponge from the dish beside him and dipped it into the water, letting it soak in the warm wetness and fragrant oils before removing it. Pulling her hair to the left, the Doctor draped it down toward her chest as he lightly kissed the right side of her neck, then gently nudged her forward. He began washing her shoulders with slow, languid strokes, touching each muscle, leaving no centimeter of skin uncovered. He moved the sponge across her back, down her spine, then back up again, repeating the sensual process all over again.

Rose sighed her contentment. She was extremely nervous, even though she knew she shouldn't be. Still, they were finally beginning the new direction that she'd hoped for, even fantasized about, and to finally have the chance ...

"This is just so you know that I've always got your back," the Doctor whispered, breaking her chain of thought.

Rose giggled, feeling the Doctor's lips smile against the side of her neck.

"That's better. Now just relax," he said, dropping the sponge into the water as his strong hands began a wonderful massage on her shoulders. It wasn't long before he'd moved from her shoulders to down her arms, the oils from the water giving his hands slick mobility as his touch covered her skin, leaving fire in their wake. Up and down. His hands left her body for only a second before he resumed his sweet torture just below her ribs. Waist to hips. His movements were as languid as the water, flowing over her with waves of pleasure.

He brought his hands to her neck and began running his fingers up and down her spine with even strokes, releasing tensions she didn't realize were even there. Oh, he was good. Very good. Especially now, as he began a deep massage just below her shoulder blades.

"Ready to get some sleep?" the Doctor whispered huskily in her left ear, just before licking his way gently down the lobe.

"No," she replied simply.

He reached around and hugged her to him, making Rose gasp as his hands brushed just below her breasts. The moan that escaped him hummed straight into her, vibrating her flesh.

"The water's cooling. We should get out now, don't you think?" he asked, hugging her closer when he felt her shiver. Rose nodded.

She stood up then turned around, letting the Doctor admire her as the water dripped down her body, the light from the candles making her skin sparkle with each drop.

The Doctor admired her for a moment then stood as well, wrapping his arms around her. Ah, there it was: Perfection. Skin to skin, molding perfectly together. It was very obvious that this was what they'd both been wanting.

They stepped out of the tub together and the Doctor grabbed a couple of towels, handing one to Rose. They began drying each other off, toweling down skin with sensual strokes, leaving no inch untouched. Soon they were again wrapped in each other's arms.

"I adore you, Rose. You know that, don't you? I've loved you from the moment I first met you and I will throughout all my lifetimes, I promise you that." He pulled away from her just a little bit, letting her see the truth of his words within his eyes. "And I want you, more than you could ever fathom in a hundred years. It's hard for me to admit how much I have wanted you since the day we met. I'm almost afraid that I won't be able to show you exactly how much I truly feel for you. But I will try."

She smiled at the Time Lord, marveling at the possessiveness his eyes conveyed. She was his. He was hers. He was talking wondrous words of love and passion - and she wanted to match them - to give him memories like he was giving her - words that would last forever for him as his would for her.

"It's like a fire that's been burning for like, forever," she began. "Simmering embers just waiting for a good poke. Wait - that didn't come out right."

The Doctor laughed. Fully, totally, undeniably let go of his inhibitions as he laughed whole-heartedly. He couldn't help it. And it wasn't long before she joined in, amusement overriding her horrid embarrassment from her unintentional pun.

Finally the laughter faded and they hugged once more, content with the feel and touch of each other in the flickering candle light.

When they finally separated, it was only for the Doctor to reach for two robes which he found conveniently draped over hooks on the wall by the door. Slowly he wrapped himself in one, then even more slowly, he wrapped Rose in the other, kissing her softly as he did so.

When the Doctor pulled away from Rose he sighed deeply, as if trying to regain some control.

"Come on then, let's get you in bed." He looked pointedly at her. "To rest."

"Your room or mine?" Rose asked, grinning enticingly as she looked the Doctor in the eye.

"Ours," he answered confidently.

The End.


End file.
